A customer at a haunted house in South Carolina has been arrested after shooting a gun at one of the workers.
Police arrested Keal Latrell Brown following the incident which took place in the Zombie Experience at the Hollywood Wax Museum Haunted House in Myrtle Beach.
Brown entered the attraction with a group of others on 16 April, where they encountered the victim as they were working as a performer. Several members of the group are said to have been frightened by the actor, and one person in the group fell to the ground amid the scare.
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During a scramble in the house a gun slid back and struck Brown in the foot. Allegedly believing the weapon to be a prop and part of the haunted house experience, Brown picked it up and fired twice, striking the victim once in the shoulder.
Brown was named a suspect in the incident hours after the shooting and was arrested near Charleston on Monday (18 April). He was brought back to Myrtle Beach the following day and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor for allegedly giving the gun to a minor after the incident.
In a statement released on Facebook, the Myrtle Beach Police Department said Brown received the charge 'for knowingly giving the gun used in the shooting to the minor'. Investigators took statements from the victim, witness and Brown and reviewed video surveillance of the incident, though said 'additional charges are likely as the investigation continues'.
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In a statement to WMBF News, Kuvera Partners, the company that owns the museum, said it had no comments about the shooting incident.
“Our attractions, like the many others in beautiful Myrtle Beach, are here for visitors to enjoy and to make fun memories. That is what drives us, and it will continue to be our pleasure to welcome our guests as we heal from this unfortunate experience," the company added.
Brown appeared at a bond hearing on Wednesday, during which a detective said one of Brown's children informed him it was a real gun, but Brown still allowed his 15-year-old child to take possession of the gun and leave, WRDW reports.
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The detective added that investigators are also still working to determine who the gun belonged to and where it came from.
Meanwhile, the victim in the case claimed he's having trouble sleeping at night and has been out of work since the shooting took place. He has said he does not know when he'll be able to return to the haunted house, and asked for the charges to be reconsidered because Brown looked at him and fired the weapon twice.
The judge, reminding the courtroom that he could only set bond for the contributing to the delinquency of a minor charge, set Brown's bond at $25,000 and ordered him to have no contact with the victim or the victim’s family.
Records indicate Brown was released on bond following his hearing.
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UNILAD has reached out to the Hollywood Wax Museum Haunted House for further comment.
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Emily Brown