Charleston Police increasing presence downtown following shooting

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Charleston Police will ramp up their presence downtown this weekend, following a shooting that left multiple people injured last week.

“We are going to be doing some enhanced patrols, some additional assets, a little bit more of a footprint,” said Charleston Police Chief Luther Reynolds.

This comes after police said five people were shot early Sunday morning near King and Morris Streets. So far, police have arrested two people in connection to the shooting. Tyvone Davis, 20, and a 16-year-old were charged with firearm violations.

“After last weekend people are rattled, people are concerned, they should be. I’m concerned. So, we have to be very sensitive to that and make sure people see us, that we’re visible,” said the chief.

The heightened patrol is bringing peace of mind to business owners like Keith Benjamin, who runs Uptown Social & Share House.

“Any extra effort that can be put in to just keep folks safe, it goes a long way,” said Benjamin.

According to Chief Reynolds, gun violence is happening almost daily, and he said it frequently involves young people.

“There’s issues with gangs, there’s issues with retaliations. There’s issues with people just basically carrying guns illegally,” said Reynolds. “And young people. Younger and younger.”

The chief said it will take more than an increased police presence to tackle the issue – it involves the entire criminal justice system.

“We can’t arrest our way out of this problem. We have to have support from others. It’s a shared responsibility,” said Reynolds.

Chief Reynolds said they are making progress in the investigation from Sunday and hope to announce updates soon.