South Carolina Officer Killed Cleaning Debris From Roadway
Horry County, SC – Officer Melton “Fox” Gore with the Horry County Police Department was killed in a crash on Tuesday afternoon.
The 57-year-old officer was removing debris from the roadway on Hwy 22 near the intersection of Hwy 31 around 4 pm. Police say he was hit by a 2007 Mazda SUV.
It wasn’t reported whether the driver of the SUV would be facing charges, but Horry County Police Chief Joseph Hill said, “I’m pretty sure that person did not start off the day thinking they were going to kill a police officer. Our thoughts and prayers go out to that driver.”
Chief Hill also said, “That’s typical of Fox, if you knew him. He cared about this community. Most people may have passed that debris by, swerve around it, but not Fox. He wanted to make sure nobody was hurt by it.”
Officer Gore was with HCPD for over 20 years serving in the environmental services unit. He was described as a caring person and well known in the county for his good cooking.
Chief Hill said, “I never would’ve thought I’d be in front of you again announcing the death of one of our officers, but here we are. I will never forget the brief conversation we had [Tuesday] because on his way out, he says, ‘can’t wait until I can cook for you again.’ Unfortunately that won’t happen.”
The Chief asked that drivers be more mindful of what’s on the roadway when driving. He said, “It’s a tough time for the Horry County Police Department, its members, and our community.”