Holly MatkinHorry County, SC – Horry County Police Department (HCPD) Lance Corporal Melton “Fox” Gore died in the line of duty on Tuesday, when he was struck by a vehicle while clearing debris from a roadway.
The incident occurred near the intersection of Highway 22 and Highway 31 at approximately 4 p.m. on Jan. 12, WBTW reported.
Cpl. Gore, 57, was removing debris from the roadway when the driver of a 2007 Mazda SUV crashed into him, killing him.
Horry County Police Chief Joseph Hill said he was not surprised to hear that Cpl. Gore died while helping to keep others safe from a road hazard, WBTW reported.
“That’s typical of Fox if you knew him,” Chief Hill said. “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.”
It is unclear whether or not the driver will face charges in connection with Cpl. Gore’s death.
“I’m pretty sure that person did not start off the day thinking they were going to kill a police officer,” Chief Hill told WBTW. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to that driver.”
Cpl. Gore served HCPD for 23 years, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
He was also named the HCPD West Precinct Officer of the Month in July of 2015, WBTW reported.
“It’s a tough time for the Horry County Police Department, its members, and our community,” Chief Hill said.
In honor of one of our own, Horry County Police Department L/CPL Melton “Fox” Gore, who lost his life in service to his community.
Fox, you will always be in our hearts.
You will never be forgotten.
We’ve got the watch from here.#HCPD #TeamHorry #LODD #EOW pic.twitter.com/vuM3uYOnqq
— Horry County PD (@horrycountypd) January 13, 2021
Our thoughts and prayers are with Officer Gore, his family and coworkers.@horrycountypd @ODMP#OurFallenOfficersNeverForgottenhttps://t.co/TP3nF03F7J pic.twitter.com/l5NE99boHr
— Genesee Valley C.O.P.S. (@genesee_c) January 13, 2021
The South Carolina Highway Patrol mourns the death of L/Cpl Melton “Fox” Gore of the Horry County Police Department. We continue to keep his family and the men and women of the Horry County PD in our thoughts and prayers. pic.twitter.com/pq9HMdWsg1
— Trooper David SCHP (@SCHP_Troop1) January 13, 2021
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Horry County Police Department Lance Corporal Melton “Fox” Gore, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.
Rest easy, hero. We’ll hold the line from here.
