Monday, August 17, 2026

Myrtle Beach Publix Shooting: Drew Langway Shot After Road Rage Attack

David Hucks

April 5, 2026

A Friday Evening Errand Turns Violent

A road rage dispute in a Myrtle Beach Publix parking lot ended with a local businessman hit by shotgun fire on Friday, April 3rd. Drew Langway, a commercial real estate partner and longtime community figure, was shot multiple times during the Myrtle Beach Publix shooting as he walked away from a physical altercation with 34-year-old Kevin Lamar McCoy of Autryville, North Carolina.

The shooting happened at approximately 5:38 p.m. at the Publix at 7925 North Kings Highway, according to the Myrtle Beach Police Department. The two motorists got into a disagreement that escalated from words to fists, and bystanders stepped in to break up the fight. After the two were separated, Langway walked away from the confrontation.

McCoy did not. According to police and prosecutors, McCoy walked to his van, retrieved a shotgun and fired multiple rounds through the vehicle’s rear glass. The shots struck Langway in the face, chest, torso and arms, local news reported. Emergency crews transported Langway to a nearby hospital, where he was in stable condition.

The parking lot — one of the busiest commercial strips on the north end of Myrtle Beach — filled with law enforcement and detectives within minutes. Chris Cardin, a tourist who arrived at the scene shortly after the shooting, told local news the scope of the police response alarmed him. “We got here around 7:35, and I just see all these cops and detectives everywhere,” Cardin said. We’re just here for vacation. I got my kids and family with me, it’s not safe.

Police took McCoy into custody at the scene without further incident.

Details of the Myrtle Beach Publix Shooting

Who Is Drew Langway?

Drew Langway — Drew Langway, victim of Myrtle Beach Publix Shooting

Drew Langway is a partner at Keystone Commercial Realty, a firm specializing in commercial real estate transactions along the Grand Strand, according to the firm’s website. He holds a bachelor’s degree in financial management from Clemson University and has been licensed in South Carolina real estate since 2007.

Before Keystone, Langway spent years at SPM Resorts, where he started in 2007 and rose to senior vice president of corporate operations in 2011, according to his professional profile. His career in Horry County spans nearly two decades in local hospitality and commercial development.

Langway has served on boards at First Methodist Church of Myrtle Beach, the Claire Chapin Epps YMCA and the Myrtle Beach High School All-Sports Booster Club, according to Keystone Commercial’s listing. His profile describes involvement in coaching youth sports and civic organizations across the city.

The Suspect and His Record

Kevin Lamar McCoy, 34, told investigators he was at the Publix to fulfill an Instacart grocery delivery order when the road rage incident began, according to court documents cited by the Post and Courier. McCoy is from Autryville, a small town in Sampson County, North Carolina, roughly three hours north of Myrtle Beach.

Kevin — Kevin Lamar McCoy charged in Myrtle Beach Publix Shooting incident

McCoy has a 2018 felony conviction for robbery, a fact that became central to his bond hearing and directly affects the charges he now faces. Under South Carolina law, a person convicted of a violent felony cannot possess a firearm. McCoy had a shotgun in his van.

He now faces three charges: aggravated assault and battery, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and unlawful possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a felony. The weapon charge alone carries significant mandatory sentencing exposure under state law.

McCoy’s statements to police after the shooting, as cited by the prosecution at his bond hearing and reported by WMBF News, paint a disturbing picture. McCoy told officers: “I killed his ass.” He also said: “The devil told me to put the muzzle to his head and pull the trigger and kill him.” In a third statement cited by the prosecution, McCoy said: “I bet that Super-X buck knocked all those delusional-ass thoughts out of his head.

Super-X is a brand of buckshot ammunition manufactured by Winchester.

Bond Denied After Combative Hearing

McCoy appeared before City Judge Scott Long on Saturday, April 4, for a bond hearing. According to WBTW News and WMBF News, McCoy repeatedly interrupted the judge and had to be muted during the virtual proceeding.

McCoy claimed self-defense, telling the court that Langway attacked him first. The prosecution rejected that framing.

The prosecutor told Judge Long that Langway had already separated himself from McCoy and that McCoy chose to retrieve a weapon and fire anyway — establishing that the physical fight had ended and the two men were apart when McCoy opened fire.

The prosecution argued that the timeline undercuts any self-defense claim. Under South Carolina’s self-defense statute, the protection does not extend to a person who re-engages after a confrontation has ended, according to the prosecutor’s argument at the hearing. Walking to a vehicle, retrieving a firearm and firing at someone who has walked away falls outside that protection, the prosecution said.

Judge Long denied bond on the aggravated assault charge, citing McCoy’s 2018 felony robbery conviction as a disqualifying factor. McCoy remains in custody at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center. The denial means McCoy will stay behind bars at least until a circuit court judge reviews the case, a process that could take weeks.

A Pattern That Worries Residents

The shooting at 7925 North Kings Highway did not happen in isolation. Eight days earlier, on March 26, the same Publix was the site of an armed robbery, according to WPDE News. Two violent incidents at the same grocery store in little more than a week is the kind of pattern that erodes public confidence in a commercial district.

The broader trend adds context. In May 2024, a road rage dispute on Ocean Boulevard ended in a deadly shooting — a case that drew national attention to Myrtle Beach’s public safety challenges during peak tourist season. Road rage violence is not unique to the Grand Strand, but its concentration in high-traffic tourist corridors raises the stakes. These are not isolated residential streets. They are the places where 20 million annual visitors shop, eat and walk with their families.

Ocean Boulevard

Cardin, the tourist who spoke with WPDE, captured the sentiment Myrtle Beach officials have worked to counter for years. A family on vacation sees police swarming a grocery store parking lot and draws a simple conclusion: this place is not safe. That perception — fair or not — carries economic consequences for a city that runs on tourism dollars.

For residents who live here year-round, the concern is different but no less pressing. A Publix parking lot at 5:30 p.m. on a Friday afternoon is not a place anyone expects to witness a shotgun attack. When that expectation breaks, the ripple effect extends beyond one intersection. It reaches every commercial property owner, every business trying to recruit employees, every parent deciding whether to let a teenager drive to the store alone.

What Comes Next

McCoy remains in the J. Reuben Long Detention Center awaiting further proceedings. The Horry County Solicitor’s Office will present the case to a grand jury for potential indictment on the existing charges. Given McCoy’s recorded statements to police, his prior felony conviction and the prosecution’s account of the shooting sequence, additional charges — including attempted murder — remain a possibility, according to legal observers familiar with the case.

Langway is recovering from his injuries. No public statement has come from his family or from Keystone Commercial Realty beyond confirming his condition as stable. The Myrtle Beach Police Department has not indicated that any additional suspects are being sought, and the investigation appears to be in its closing stages from a law enforcement standpoint.

For Myrtle Beach, the larger question is whether two violent incidents at the same Publix in eight days will prompt a visible response from city leadership — additional patrols, security investments or a public accounting of what is driving the pattern. Peak tourist season begins in weeks. The city’s reputation and its revenue ride on whether visitors feel safe in ordinary places like a grocery store parking lot.

Further Reading

Last Updated on: August 15, 2026