Southern vacation hot spot fires back at poor safety rating following shooting: 'Fake news'

Myrtle Beach—a popular, coastal South Carolina metropolis for snowbirds and locals alike—is firing backmost against a survey ranking it the No. 2 astir unsafe formation successful the United States.

Seven of the apical 10 astir unsafe beaches listed successful the survey from Everly Life, an security company, are successful Florida, including New Smyrna Beach astatine No. 1, followed by Miami Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miramar Beach, Panama City Beach and Ponce Inlet.

The lone different non-South Carolina formation included connected the database is Oak Island, North Carolina, which is ranked astatine No. 3.

Researchers examined 4 main hazard factors erstwhile determining the comparative information of fashionable U.S. beaches, including transgression rates, shark attacks, drownings and upwind conditions. It is unclear wherefore nary West Coast oregon Northeast beaches were listed; Everly Life did not instantly respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.

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An Everly Life survey ranked Myrtle Beach arsenic the No. 2 astir unsafe formation successful the United States. (iStock)

Myrtle Beach transgression concerns person been heightened since April 26, erstwhile a shooting successful the amusement territory near the shooter dormant and 11 injured. Myrtle Beach officials described the shooting arsenic an isolated incident.

But locals and metropolis officials disagree that Myrtle Beach is unsafe.

FSU SHOOTING: AT LEAST 6 INJURED, 1 PERSON IN CUSTODY AS POLICE INVESTIGATE ‘ACTIVE CRIME SCENE’

At slightest 1 idiosyncratic was killed and 11 others were wounded successful a wide shooting successful a fashionable tourer country of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. (Google Earth)

Meredith Denari, manager of communications and originative services for the City of Myrtle Beach, described the Everly Life survey arsenic "misleading, flawed and intelligibly skewed," noting that it was not peer-reviewed successful a connection to Fox News Digital.

"I would telephone this survey ‘fake news.’"

"Like galore reports produced by beingness security companies, its superior intent appears to beryllium generating clicks alternatively than serving the nationalist interest," Denari said. "This is evident successful the usage of outdated, inconsistent and irrelevant data, including shark onslaught records dating backmost to 1882 and upwind and transgression statistic from 2009–2015 and 2023, respectively. None of these sources accurately bespeak the twelvemonth 2025. Also, the City of Myrtle Beach was not incorporated until 1938. Even then, it was beauteous hard to reach. I would telephone this survey ‘fake news.’"

Mrytle Beach spokesperson Meredith Denari called the Everly Life survey "fake news." (iStock)

She added that "Myrtle Beach is simply a fantastic spot to unrecorded and sojourn for thousands of families," and the "Myrtle Beach Police Department continues to study downward trends successful crime, and downtown revitalization efforts are good underway."

Denari described the Saturday shooting arsenic "a tragic, isolated incident."

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"Myrtle Beach constabulary officers, already nearby, instantly returned fire, apt redeeming galore lives erstwhile they fatally changeable the perpetrator," she said.

Authorities successful South Carolina confirmed that 11 radical were injured, and 1 dormant successful a Myrtle Beach officer-involved shooting precocious Saturday night.  (Myrtle Beach Police Department Facebook)

"While details are constricted astatine this clip owed to an unfastened probe by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, unit has nary spot successful Myrtle Beach," Denari said. "Saturday’s incidental is not reflective of the experiences of millions of radical who sojourn the country each twelvemonth and bask the beauteous coastline, our restaurants, family-friendly amusement and businesses."

Melissa K., a seven-year Myrtle Beach nonmigratory primitively from Connecticut, told Fox News Digital she does not consciousness unsafe successful the confederate formation town, wherever she moved for milder upwind and her job.

"And I’m blessed I did," she said.

Myrtle Beach nonmigratory Melissa K. told Fox News Digital she feels harmless successful the confederate formation town. (iStock)

Locals, she noted, don’t walk overmuch clip successful the downtown country wherever the shooting happened. Ocean Boulevard tin pull unsavory behaviour from visitors who enactment retired precocious astatine bars and prosecute successful rowdy behavior, she said. Melissa besides noted that Myrtle Beach is little costly than different formation towns successful the Carolinas.

"At the extremity of the day, things could hap anyplace astatine immoderate clip successful immoderate place. The world's gotten a small spot crazy."

"It has attracted, unfortunately, immoderate of the incorrect people, from what I've gathered successful my 7 years being here," Melissa said. "As locals, we truly don't spell connected the boulevard oregon that district, particularly astatine night, and particularly alone. But astatine the extremity of the day, things could hap anyplace astatine immoderate clip successful immoderate place. The world's gotten a small spot crazy."

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The shooting, Melissa said, was "shocking" for the community, but unsafe incidents of that standard are not mean for Myrtle Beach.

"I bash emotion surviving here. It's a large spot to visit, golf, eat, person a bully household vacation," she said. "Unfortunately …  you conscionable person to beryllium alert of your surroundings astatine each times, and that conscionable goes for anywhere. It's inactive a beauteous spot to sojourn and bent retired astatine the beach. I consciousness safe."