Horry County police link July 2026 shooting to earlier 2025 roadside assault
Horry Country, SC — A Little River man is facing multiple violent‑crime charges after investigators connected a 2026 shooting to an earlier roadside assault reported the previous year.
Kevin Booker, 43, was arrested and booked into the J. Reuben Long Detention Center on charges including two counts of attempted murder, third‑degree assault and battery, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He remains held without bond.
According to Horry County police records, the first incident occurred on September 16, 2025, when officers responded to a disturbance on a Highway 501 off‑ramp. Booker allegedly slapped two victims during a road‑rage encounter and attempted to take a wallet from one passenger. No weapon was reported in that case.
A second incident on July 28, 2026, prompted a renewed investigation. Police say Booker fired four rounds from a handgun out of his vehicle window while traveling on Highway 9 near Forest Park Drive. One round struck the victim’s car.
Investigators later used real‑time crime system data to identify the vehicle involved in the shooting.
Regional real‑time crime centers rely on automated license‑plate recognition systems that provide time‑stamped location information, helping detectives confirm vehicle movements and link incidents that might otherwise remain unrelated. In recent cases, these systems have allowed officers to quickly match vehicles to prior citations or alerts, giving investigators a faster starting point during violent‑crime inquiries.
Detectives cross‑referenced the July 2026 shooting with the earlier 2025 assault, leading to the combined charges filed this month. Booker was taken into custody on August 26, 2026, and jail records show no bond has been set on any of the counts.
Authorities have not released additional details regarding a possible motive. The investigation remains active.
All individuals named in this report ae presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law
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