Horry County detectives say the key witness in a deadly Loris-area shooting was not a neighbor or a passerby, but a white Tesla Model S quietly logging every mile it traveled.
Investigators allege 27-year-old Dreshawn Stanley used that Tesla as a rolling ambush point on the 1300 block of Cedar Branch Road in August 2025, firing from inside the car and killing 18-year-old Christian Hemingway. Stanley, a North Carolina resident, was arrested earlier this month and brought to Horry County to face state charges, and court papers highlight the Tesla’s location data and text messages as central evidence in the case.
According to WBTV, Stanley was taken into custody on Feb. 18 in North Carolina, then extradited to South Carolina. He is charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime and is currently being held at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center.
The Horry County coroner had previously identified Hemingway, 18, as the victim of the Aug. 17 shooting, and local reports said he lived near the Loris-area road where he was killed. As WMBF reported, the arrest warrant states that Stanley fired while inside the Tesla and that officers later found the gun in his possession. After the summer shooting, Horry County police asked anyone with information to call their tipline, and WMBF added that Stanley is being held without bond.
How vehicle data became evidence
Detectives increasingly treat phones and cars like digital witnesses, and in this case they say the Tesla’s logs painted a detailed timeline. Investigators reported that the vehicle’s trip data lined up with specific times and GPS coordinates listed in the arrest warrant.
Per WBTV, prosecutors wrote that location data from Stanley’s Tesla, paired with timestamps from his text messages, placed him on Cedar Branch Road at the moment of the shooting. That digital trail, as described in the warrant, is what prompted investigators to seek his arrest and push for extradition.
Legal steps ahead
Stanley faces one count of murder and one weapons charge and is expected to appear in Horry County court as the case moves forward, according to authorities. Prosecutors will decide whether to pursue formal indictments or bring the matter before a grand jury, and local coverage notes that court records do not yet list a hearing date.
