Six Charged After North Charleston July 4 Block Party Turns Violent: Machine Gun, Makeshift Spear, Officers Attacked

What Happened

At approximately 8:30 p.m. on July 4, North Charleston police began receiving reports of people discharging firearms and firing fireworks at passing vehicles near a block party in the Chicora-Cherokee community, according to the North Charleston Police Department.

The party had been permitted by the city in advance. Earlier that same day, police leadership had met with event organizers to go over traffic, parking, and emergency access plans.

Despite that preparation, things escalated quickly. Attendees told arriving officers that multiple individuals had started shooting guns. Officers repeatedly announced the event was over and ordered the crowd to disperse. The crowd did NOT comply.

Multiple fights broke out. More shots were fired. When officers moved in to restore order, they were physically attacked. Two female officers sustained minor injuries, according to NCPD. A widely circulated video captured one of the assaults.

Officers recovered multiple firearms and what police described as a makeshift spear.

Who Was Charged

Six people total now face charges: four juveniles and two adults.

Because they are minors, the four juveniles were not publicly identified. Their charges include third-degree assault by mob, assault on a police officer while resisting arrest, resisting arrest, possession of a machine gun, and breach of peace, according to NCPD.

The two adults are:

• Giovanni Mekhi Sincere Campbell, 19, of North Charleston, charged with possession of a machine gun.
• Sa'Mya Adriana Collette Weaver, 18, charged with breach of peace and assault on a police officer while resisting arrest.

Police Chief Ron Camacho stated publicly that more arrests will follow. The investigation remains active.

Mutual Aid and Community Response

NCPD acknowledged that multiple agencies responded to help. The Charleston County Sheriff's Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office, and the South Carolina Highway Patrol all assisted, according to South Carolina Public Radio.

Police also thanked community members who assisted officers during the attacks. Not everyone at or near this block party was part of the violence. Some residents actively helped law enforcement.

The Stronger Counterpoint

The strongest concern from the other side of this story is worth stating plainly. The Chicora-Cherokee community is a historically underserved neighborhood, and city-permitted block parties like this one are a legitimate form of community gathering. Critics of heavy police responses to such events argue that aggressive crowd-control tactics can escalate rather than de-escalate situations, and that the presence of a few individuals committing crimes should not define an entire community event or justify treating everyone there as a suspect.

In principle, that concern has weight. But the specific facts here are not ambiguous. Multiple firearms were recovered. A machine gun was present. Officers were physically assaulted. Two were injured. The chaos was not manufactured by police. They had coordinated with organizers earlier in the day and responded only after reports of active gunfire.

The juveniles and adults now charged are accused of specific, enumerated acts. No investigation has been announced into police conduct at the scene, and no allegations of misconduct by officers appear in any available account.

A Pattern Worth Watching

North Charleston is not the only city dealing with this. As South Carolina Public Radio noted in its coverage, the incident gained significant social media attention and fits a broader pattern of large public gatherings being disrupted by individuals, often younger, carrying illegal weapons.

In Raleigh, North Carolina, the mayor was separately reported to be weighing a youth curfew following its own violent July 4 weekend, according to Fox News. These are distinct incidents, but the convergence across multiple cities over the same holiday weekend reflects a real pattern.

The machine gun charge carries federal-grade seriousness. Under South Carolina and federal law, possession of a machine gun is a felony. Whether Campbell, who is 19, faces federal prosecution in addition to state charges has not been announced as of July 8, 2026.