Corey Brooks was 20 when he was shot and killed in the late hours of May 25, 2008, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A Coastal Carolina University student who worked at River City Cafe, he had been at a home on Third Avenue North during Memorial Day Bikefest weekend when a dispute over a parking space escalated. Corey stepped in to break up a physical fight between his friend and another man and was shot during the confrontation.

Three people were arrested in connection with the killing: 18-year-old Keion Griffin, 17-year-old Demario Stukes, and a 16-year-old juvenile. The juvenile pleaded guilty to a gun charge and received five years in juvenile detention. Stukes, initially charged with murder, later pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to murder after testifying against Griffin and was sentenced to two years in prison followed by four years of probation. At Griffin’s November 2009 trial, testimony said Griffin struck Corey in the head with the gun then shot him while he was on the ground; a jury convicted Griffin of murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, and he was sentenced to life in prison for the murder.

Corey’s death prompted pain and discussion in the Myrtle Beach community about safety and violence at large events. Did anyone who was at Third Avenue North that night see what happened or recognize the people involved?