For four days, Weldon Boyd and Kenneth “Bradley” Williams sat just a few feet from each other in a Horry County courtroom as they, for the first time in a public setting, talked about shooting and killing a North Carolina man more than two years ago.

The distance between the two friends was closer on that September day as Boyd, with Williams as his passenger, followed Scott Spivey for miles before turning down Camp Swamp Road and engaging in a gun battle that killed the 33-year-old Tabor City man.

The case has gained national attention as the men have avoided criminal charges in the case under South Carolina’s Stand Your Ground law.

Boyd is well-known as the operator of the oceanfront restaurant Buoys on the Boulevard in North Myrtle Beach and for his previous battles with city officials. He has been described as a “lightening rod” by his attorney. But not much is known about Williams, whose name wasn’t released by police and only became public after Spivey’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the two men in 2024.

Additional pieces about the two men and their lives came out during last week’s Stand Your Ground hearing to determine if Boyd and Williams would receive civil immunity under the state law. The men were never arrested after the state attorney general’s office declined to file criminal charges, saying their actions were self-defense under the law.

The law, which most states have in some form, allows people to use force, including deadly force, to protect themselves against a perceived threat. South Carolina’s law specifically eliminated the duty to retreat when a person is somewhere they have a right to be.

The two men claim the shooting was self-defense after Spivey was seen driving erratically and pointing a gun at drivers, including Williams. Spivey ran Boyd off of the road before Boyd began to pursue Spivey.

Judge Eugene Griffith Jr. disagreed with the self-defense argument, something the two men have asserted since the Sept. 9, 2023, shooting, and denied Boyd immunity, allowing the civil suit to move forward against Boyd. He is still considering whether he will grant Williams immunity as well.

The family alleges in their civil suit that Boyd and Williams aggressively chased Spivey for nine miles before shooting and killing him.

Here’s what we know about the two men as we wait the judge’s final decision.

Boyd and Williams became friends after attending automotive school together.

“I’ve always kept a very small circle,” said Boyd, describing Williams as “my brother.”

The father of one grew up in Hartsville and received his GED after being homeschooled by his mother, who, along with his father, adopted both Boyd and his sister. His father raised him to be direct and “do the right thing” and “put your family first,” Boyd testified.

Boyd later joined the Army National Guard in 2009, serving six years before leaving with the rank of sergeant. Boyd was deployed overseas, and while he never saw combat, he did say he witnessed tragic scenes that had an effect on him, including watching a family burn to death in their vehicle.

Boyd became emotional on the stand as he described the scene, adding that he couldn’t stop to help.

After getting out of the military, Boyd opened his first restaurant — a deli. When that failed, he later opened Buoys on the Boulevard. Boyd leases the property after buying out the previous owner.

Boyd has been an outspoken critic of North Myrtle Beach city leaders, including former Mayor Marilyn Hatley. He has often used his eatery to send political statements. In April 2020, the restaurant received a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division citation after opening for outdoor dining during COVID-19 despite state orders to remain shut down.

In 2023, Boyd established a blueberry farm outside of Loris. It was here that Boyd and Williams were heading on the day of the shooting when they encountered Spivey along Highway 9.

Williams spoke softly as he testified on the final day of the hearing.

Unlike Boyd, the 36-year-old Darlington resident maintained a low profile following the shooting. The married father of one is a heavy equipment mechanic, having worked for the same Florence company for 14 years, he said.

He confirmed that he and Boyd met in school in 2008.

The two men both said they have an interest in hunting, the outdoors and shooting guns.

Williams said he came to Horry County on Sept. 9 to help Boyd prepare for a family and friends event at the farm. He testified that he did have a gun with him that day, adding it was in his bag that was inside Boyd’s truck.

Following the shooting, neither Boyd nor Williams’ names were released by police. It wasn’t until Boyd posted a statement on Facebook thanking Horry County Police and Solicitor Jimmy Richardson for their help in the shooting investigation that his name was revealed. Richardson mentioned Boyd’s name in his letter to the state attorney general’s office recusing himself and asking for the office to review the case.

Rumors began to swirl online that Boyd shot Spivey over an alleged relationship between Spivey and Boyd’s ex-fiance. But police later determined that Boyd and Spivey didn’t know one another before the shooting and that the shooting happened over a road rage incident.

Testimony revealed that Boyd was angry that day regarding his ex-fiance. Family members had gone earlier to pick up a vehicle and engagement ring that Boyd had given her. Boyd had planned to sell the items, listing them on Facebook, in order to pay for his custody battle with his ex-fiance who was pregnant with his son, he said.

Because of that custody dispute, Boyd placed an app on his phone to record phone calls between himself and the mother. Those audio recordings became a key part of the Stand Your Ground hearing when they revealed Boyd’s calls on the day of and days following the shooting.

Those recordings showed Boyd had minimal remorse for his actions, telling Williams during one call that he had a “f****** blast” during the gunfight, and telling his mom that he chased Spivey, who “was terrified.” He also suggested that he and Williams get teardrop tattoos.

Those recordings also revealed a close relationship with then-Horry County Police Department Deputy Chief Brandon Strickland, who told Boyd he was working “in the shadows” to help him.

Strickland was forced to resign in March and is currently under criminal investigation by SLED related to his conduct with Boyd’s case. Longtime officer Paul Damon Vescovi also was terminated for “conduct unbecoming of an officer” and other policy violations related to his actions on the case.

The termination came after Vescovi’s body camera footage at the scene showed him writing “Act Like a Victim” and “Camera” on a notepad that he showed to Boyd.