A U.S. Navy sailor was arrested in Illinois Thursday as the suspect in a mass shooting over Memorial Day weekend in South Carolina that wounded at least 10 people.
Shawon Shamarion Williams, 19, was arrested by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, or NCIS, and was booked into the Lake County Jail north of Chicago. The Navy sailor is assigned to Naval Station Great Lakes near North Chicago.
Cellphone video shows the chaotic shooting scene from Memorial Day weekend. Ten people were shot as they got off a boat in Little River, South Carolina — a community near the North Carolina state line.
Williams was taken into custody Thursday afternoon in Lake County, Illinois, Cmdr. Jessica L. McNulty, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery spokeswoman, confirmed. Williams was a hull maintenance technician seaman, assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Great Lakes, McNulty said.
NCIS transferred custody of Williams to local authorities, McNulty said.
Police in South Carolina said Williams is expected to be charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. More people could be arrested in the case, police added.
“We got shot coming off the boat,” shooting victim Jeremy Evans said. “We were on the pier.”
Evans was shot in the leg. He posted video of his recovery, and responded to the arrest Thursday by calling for justice.
“When I got hit, I took my shorts off and wrapped it around my wound,” said Evans. “We were involved in a mass shooting. Ten of us got sprayed on this deck.”
Police said a private charter boat had just docked when a quarrel led to the shooting.
“He started shooting and running backwards,” Evans said.
Williams was booked in the Lake County Jail on a fugitive of justice charge. He will appear in court Friday morning, where the extradition process is expected to begin.
