CONWAY -- Four survivors of the Little River mass shooting are suing the organizers of a party boat cruise that ended just before the violence erupted on Memorial Day weekend.
Kalayla Bufkin, Kamya Bufkin, Jared Graham and Vince Hanna are among the 11 people who were hurt during the May 25 shooting. A 16-year-old from North Carolina has been accused of opening fire around 9:15 p.m. after the boat docked at the Watson Avenue marina on the Intracoastal Waterway.
Horry County Police have released few details about the shooting, but they say it stemmed from an argument. Ten people suffered gunshot wounds while another had an injury unrelated to the gunfire, police said.
The four plaintiffs are from Georgetown and Florence counties. They are suing Hurricane Fleet, the charter boat company; Little River Campground, where the boat departed and docked; and Jacklyn Bellamy, Griselda Redd and Meek Bell, who were involved in managing the boat party, according to the complaints.
The survivors have accused the defendants of failing to properly check for weapons before the boat departed. They also allege the defendants allowed "hazardous conditions" on the boat, which they believe contributed to the shooting, according to the complaint.
The victims' attorney, Brooke Wright, could not be reached for comment this week. But during a June 4 news conference at the Little River marina, Wright said the event lacked adequate security and she would pursue civil claims to help compensate victims for their medical expenses, trauma and lost wages.
"(One survivor's) injuries are so severe he is actually having to learn to walk all over again," Wright told The Post and Courier. "It's going to (be) a very long road ahead of him for recovery. So, my main priority is helping (the four) get the treatment that they need."
From partying to fleeing gunfire
Before attending the event, the plaintiffs had to purchase tickets. The price included a boat ride, alcoholic beverages and food.
The boat started loading at 5:15 p.m. with departure at 6 p.m. The party was advertised as "18+" and made no mention of any pre-boarding security, according to the cruise's eventbrite page.
Staff members conducted pat-down searches of guests, but the plaintiffs contend the alleged shooter wasn't searched because his weapon wasn't removed before the boat departed, according to the complaint.
The plaintiffs allege multiple fights broke out on the boat and the sparring eventually led to the shooting. They argue the shooting could have been avoided if the boat had better security, including cameras and metal detectors.
"Defendants could have and should have implemented economically feasible security measures which would have prevented the subject shooting," the complaint stated.
They also accuse event organizers of allowing the teenage gunman to consume alcohol on the boat, despite being under the legal drinking age of 21. They are suing for alcohol liability, among other causes of action, according to the complaints.
"Defendants encouraged and created an unruly and dangerous environment by permitted overcrowding, overservice [sic] and grossly excessive consumption of alcohol and liquor, loud music and hazardous conditions," the complaints stated.
The survivors accuse the defendants of being reckless in other ways, including in how they managed the party and supervised staff. The suits take issue with Hurricane Fleet and Little River Campground for their hiring and training processes.
They claim the defendants allowed disruptive people to stay at the event, despite noticing the alleged gunman's intoxication and "obnoxious, aggressive, violent, criminal and intimidating behavior," according to the complaint.
"As a direct and proximate result of Defendants' acts and omissions, Plaintiff suffered severe bodily injuries, mental anguish, medical bills, and other damages," the complaints stated.
Four of the defendants could not be reached for comment, including Redd, Bellamy, Bell and the Little River Campground. A representative for Hurricane Fleet declined to discuss the litigation.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Redd shared her grievances about the event on her public Facebook page.
She wrote on May 26 that she helped pull people out of the water, tried to rescue a victim and was in the crossfire while trying to come to people's aid. She said she and her team have also been traumatized by the event and that people have spread lies about them on social media since it happened. Bellamy and Bell shared Redd's post on their respective public Facebook pages.
"I tried to do all I could do," Redd wrote in a caps-lock post on Facebook May 28. "We were all part of this event and again I could have been shot also!! [sic] But I can't apologize enough or say anything that will make it better. But please believe all questions are being answered. No one is holding back information."
Redd also posted that she is the aunt of 19-year-old Shawon Shamarion Williams, a U.S. Navy sailor who is accused of being an accessory after the fact to a felony for allegedly driving the teen gunman away from the scene after the shooting.
During Williams' bond hearing June 9, his attorney O'Bryan Martin told the court that Williams returned to the scene after dropping off the teen shooter. He gave a statement to police, and then he returned to his Navy service.
"It was certainly a lapse in judgment," Martin said of his client driving the teen, but emphasized that Williams was not involved in the violence that took place that night and that the police knew where he went after he returned to the Navy.
The 16-year-old suspect hasn't been publicly identified because of his age. The court will decide if he should be prosecuted as an adult.