A shooting at Klocker’s Tavern in the Socastee area of Myrtle Beach on the night of December 15–16, 2024 killed 43-year-old Jotham Rafael Joe Simmons. Officers responding to reports of gunfire arrived to find a blood trail from the bar’s entrance into the parking lot. Simmons was transported to South Strand Medical Center with gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at 3:12 a.m. Another person was also injured and taken to the hospital.

Simmons, born November 7, 1981, in Charlotte, North Carolina, lived in Myrtle Beach and ran a landscaping business. He is described as a hardworking man who cherished his daughter and his life partner of more than 18 years. The owners of Klocker’s Tavern announced the bar’s permanent closure, citing this shooting and other recent incidents of violence and theft.

Horry County Police say all parties involved have been accounted for and the investigation is active; no arrests have been announced. If anyone has information that could help the investigation, please share it with Horry County authorities.