Late Wednesday night, Christina Hammers walked into the Murphy gas station on Maryport Drive near Surfside Beach, South Carolina. She was 46 years old and lived nearby at the Myrtle Beach Resort. It was supposed to be a quick, ordinary stop right before midnight. Within minutes, the quiet convenience store turned into the scene of a sudden double shooting.
Horry County police officers responded to emergency calls at the business around 11:30 p.m. When officers pulled up to the property on Maryport Drive, they found three people suffering from gunshot wounds inside the shop. Paramedics pronounced Christina dead right there on the store floor alongside the man who shot her.
Investigators confirmed that 43-year-old Bruce Taylor of Georgetown had walked into the building with Christina. Moments after stepping inside, Taylor grabbed Christina and fired his weapon. The sudden attack gave nobody in the store any chance to step in or get out of the way.
Right after shooting Christina, Taylor walked across the main store area and turned the gun on himself. Both he and Christina died at the scene from their wounds. A store employee working the late shift was also hit by the gunfire during the incident.
First responders rushed the wounded clerk to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment. Police later updated the public that the clerk suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to recover. Authorities also made sure to let neighbors know that there was no active threat to anyone else in the area.
Folks living around the Myrtle Beach Resort area remember Christina as a friendly neighbor whose life was taken far too quickly. Friends and acquaintances are still trying to wrap their heads around how a simple evening errand ended like this. Her family is now left dealing with the heavy weight of a sudden loss.
Horry County detectives are reviewing security video from inside the store and talking with witnesses to figure out what led up to the violence. For Christina’s family and friends, no explanation will bring her back, but the local community is rallying around them as they get through the days ahead.
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