Loris man sentenced to 20 years in deadly Horry County car wash shooting

Taylor Ford
·1 min read
2

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) –A Loris man pleaded guilty Thursday to voluntary manslaughter in the September 2022 shooting death of a 21-year-old man at a car wash in Horry County.

Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson made the announcement Thursday in a news release.

Devin Lee Johnson, 19, killed 21-year-old Tyshawn Smalls in a shooting at a car wash on Bay Road near Highway 707, Horry County police said. The victim was driven by an acquaintance to the Sonic Drive-In on Highway 707.

Smalls was taken to Grand Strand Medical Center with serious injuries and later died, according to Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard.

Witnesses told police they saw two sedans in the parking lot of the car wash before they heard gunshots, according to a police report obtained by News13.

Johnson was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Johnson faced up to 30 years in prison for the charge and he must serve at least 85% of the sentence before he is eligible for release, the solicitor’s office said.

The Honorable Circuit Court Judge Alex Hyman presided over the hearing and Johnson’s case was scheduled to go to trial on April 22, the release said.

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Taylor Ford is a digital journalist for News13. She joined the News13 team in January 2023. Taylor is a Florence native and covers the Pee Dee out of News13’s Florence Bureau. Read more of Taylor’s work here.

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