CCMF goers react to shooting that hurt officer near festival

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Horry County police are investigating after shots were fired at Myrtle Beach and SLED officers Saturday night, very close to where day three of CCMF was wrapping me up.

The shooting, which injured one officer, happened near Chester Street and 14th Avenue North, about less than half a mile from CCMF.

News13’s Claire Purnell spoke with a few concertgoers about the shooting and how it impacted themselves, as well as the festival.

“My daughter wanted to leave the festival earlier because she had to go to the bathroom and it took a little bit longer than we anticipated,” said Rosemarie Mroczkowski. “I’m like, five more minutes before and we would’ve been walking right through when it happened because we literally were walking up as the officers were converging.”

Law enforcement still had the street taped off and was present in the area of the shooting 12 hours later.

Phoenix Mullen, a local who was attending CCMF, said Saturday night was no different than any other night in the city.

“We left. We didn’t even know that it happened and it doesn’t surprise me,” Mullen said. “I saw cops rolling by, that’s just another night in Myrtle Beach.”

One employee at a restaurant on the boardwalk said that incidents like these do not surprise them anymore.

The shooting did affect CCMF, as Saturday’s headliner Kenny Chesney cut his performance short.

“There were six more songs he was supposed to play and didn’t because, well, I hear there was a cop shootout on 14th Avenue,” said Eric Smith, a CCMF goer. “Which I guess is, I’m not from the area, but I guess it’s just up the road.”

Laura Trull, from Charlotte, North Carolina, echoed that sentiment.

“I never would’ve guessed him walking off stage would be the last but comes to find out, there was a shooting,” she said. “Got a call from somebody there very well and she told me to be safe, to get out of. There is only a couple blocks down from here that’s probably why he ended early.”

However, people in line for the final day of CCMF on Sunday said the incident was not going to stop them from one more day of country music.

“It’s very safe in there,” said Hayden Urso, of Columbia, South Carolina. “It’s just one of those things that happens and you just kind of have to move on from it.”