Campus Alert Archive
CCU

Pre-Dawn Gunfire in The Cove Parking Lot Ends With a Non-Student Arrested on Campus Weapons Charges

SCshots firedemergency notificationmedium confidence

In the early morning hours of Monday, January 15, 2024, Coastal Carolina University's Department of Public Safety sent a CCU Alert at 5:12 AM EST after shots were fired in the parking lot of The Cove Apartments, a CCU-managed off-campus student housing complex off Highway 544. A 20-year-old Myrtle Beach man who was not a CCU student was arrested on charges of discharging a firearm and carrying a weapon on school property. No injuries were reported and the all-clear was issued by 7:20 AM.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Coastal Carolina University
Public Masters · SC
CCU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction145 chars
CCU ALERT: Shots fired at The Cove Apartments off Hwy 544. Law enforcement is on scene. AVOID THE AREA. Do not enter The Cove. Updates to follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed, not verbatim: WMBF News confirmed the first CCU Alert about shots fired at The Cove was sent at 5:12 AM EST on January 15, 2024, Monday morning.
The Cove Apartments is an off-campus student housing complex operated by CCU along Highway 544 in Horry County.
UPDATESMS+22 min
Approximate reconstruction140 chars
CCU ALERT UPDATE: No apparent threat at this time at The Cove. Continue to avoid the area while law enforcement completes the investigation.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed update; WMBF confirmed a second CCU Alert at 5:34 AM downgraded the immediate threat level while police remained on scene.
This was not a full all-clear but rather an intermediate update noting that no active threat remained while investigation continued.
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction123 chars
CCU ALERT: All clear at The Cove Apartments. Police have left the area. One person is in custody. Resume normal operations.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed all-clear; WBTW and WPDE confirmed CCU told students they could resume normal operations just before 7:20 AM EST after one person was taken into custody.
Savion Jordan Pinckney, 20, of Myrtle Beach was later identified as the arrested individual, charged with discharging a firearm and carrying a weapon on school property.
Context

Background

In the pre-dawn hours of January 15, 2024, a 20-year-old man not affiliated with Coastal Carolina University opened fire in the parking lot of The Cove Apartments, a CCU-managed off-campus student housing complex along Highway 544 in Horry County. CCU's Department of Public Safety issued the first CCU Alert at 5:12 AM EST, triggering alerts across the community. A suspect was in custody by 7:20 AM. Savion Jordan Pinckney, 20, of Myrtle Beach was charged with discharging a firearm and carrying a firearm on school property, which applies to CCU-operated residential properties even when off the main campus. No injuries were reported. The incident -- the third shelter-in-place or shots-fired event connected to CCU housing in less than two years -- reignited student safety concerns that had first emerged after the April 2022 Carolina Pines shooting and the October 2022 Cove abduction scare. Students expressed frustration with the recurring pattern of gunfire incidents in the university-affiliated housing corridor.
Outcome
Savion Jordan Pinckney, 20, of Myrtle Beach was arrested and charged with discharging a firearm and carrying a firearm on school property. He was not a CCU student. No injuries were reported. The Cove parking lot was cleared and students were advised they could resume normal operations just before 7:20 AM EST.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    20-year-old arrested after shots fired at off-campus student housing complex near CCU - WPDE
    wpde.com
  2. News
    We still deserve to feel safe: CCU students raise safety concerns after shots fired at off-campus complex - WMBF News
    wmbfnews.com
  3. News
    1 in custody after shooting in parking lot at Cove apartments near Coastal Carolina - WBTW
    wbtw.com
  4. News
    Shots fired at Cove Apartments, CCU student housing - WCIV ABC 4
    abcnews4.com
Tags
shots-firedarrestoff-campus-housingsouth-carolinaconwaynon-studentpre-dawnhighway-544
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion