Hate charges filed in shooting near LGBTQ club in South Carolina

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – On Wednesday, a suspect fired shots in the parking lot of the Pulse Ultra Club just before 11 a.m., hitting the window and windshield of the owner’s SUV.

Police arrested Timothy Truitt Jr. that same day just a few hours after they initially responded to calls of a shooting. Truitt is charged with shooting into a dwelling, shooting within city limits, malicious injury to property, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and hate intimidation.

In Myrtle Beach, the crime is considered hate intimidation ordinance. The ordinance was put on the city’s books in 2024 after leaders on the city’s Human Rights Commission advocated for several years.

The commission’s vice chair Adam Hayes says he’s thankful to see the ordinance is being used in the wake of this shooting. He says the incident is a sign more protections are needed.

“It’s nice to see that something that we put into policy is not just a piece of paper. That it’s actually being used,” Hayes said. “Secondlly, I think it sets a clear example as to why we need a state crime law.”

South Carolina is one of very few states without a hate crime law. Hayes says he believes that needs to change, especially as he worries the shooting was motivated by hate.

“We see stuff happen in other parts of the country that make me kind of a little bit more head on a swivel,” Hayes said. “But the fact that it’s happening a few miles down from my house, that is very concerning.”

Club owner Ken Phillips says the shooting has left him shaken. He doesn’t know why the shots were fired, but he’s working to improve the security system at the bar, saying his biggest concern is the safety of his customers.

“Whether they know I’m gay and it’s a gay hate crime or whether it’s a community thing, and I was just the only vehicle in the parking lot. Either way, it still gives me great concern,” Phillips said.