A U.S. airman now faces two counts of murder in connection to a deadly shooting at a Myrtle Beach restaurant.
Samuel Frye, 21, was initially charged with being an accessory to a felony or murder. On Saturday, Myrtle Beach police announced he now faces two counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder and one count of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature.
He now faces life in prison.
Frye is an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force and is stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.
Myrtle Beach police responded to Allen’s Food Basket, off U.S. 501, around 4:30 a.m. Oct 19 for the shooting. Two people died in the incident. Three more people were hospitalized after the shooting. One person was treated at the scene and released.
Darius Hemingway, 30, died in the shooting’s immediate aftermath. The Horry County Coroner’s Office has not identified the second victim.
During a bond hearing on the accessory charge, Frye said he joined the air force at 18 years old to get away from problems in his neighborhood in New Jersey.
“Somehow, I don’t know why, my name got mixed up in the investigation,” White said.
Detective Chris White said a vehicle registered to Frye’s name was seen leaving the location after the shooting.
Frye initially tried to report the car stolen, then told officials at his Air Force base that he needed a ride to work because he lost the keys. The keys were found on Frye when he got to work, White said.
The car was then sold, though White said Myrtle Beach investigators have found and took control of the car.
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