‘She was beloved’: Friends, family remember Myrtle Beach woman killed by police vehicle (2024)

MYRTLE BEACH — Walking toward the ocean through the Nash Street beach access, Dennis Miller noticed the tiny woman to his left.

She was sitting in a chair reading. He remembers watching her flip a page. Other locals had seen her there before. Sandy Schultz-Peters was a regular. She lived in The Market Common, less than 3 miles away.

Miller didn’t think much about the scene when he sat down in his chair a little closer to the ocean just after 1 p.m. on June 13. Then he heard yelling.

“Somebody’s been run over,” they said.

An Horry County Police truck had pulled on top of Schultz-Peters, pinning her beneath the vehicle, according to the S.C. Highway Patrol and multiple witnesses. She was taken to Grand Strand Medical Center but died at the hospital. The officer has not been identified. A police spokeswoman said he had been placed on administrative leave.

In addition to the Highway Patrol’s investigation, the Police Department is conducting its own internal review of the accident.

“What occurred on the beach yesterday was a tragedy and we know our community is hurting,” the department said in a statement. “Our hearts are with all those impacted by this loss.”

Before the Horry County Coroner's Office identified Schultz-Peters as the beachgoer who had been killed, word had already spread to her neighborhood.

A petite woman with an outsized personality, friends described Schultz-Peters as a 66-year-old whirling dervish, someone who cared for patients as a nurse practitioner, managed a book club and regularly walked for miles with her 10-year-old labradoodle Sophie.

“She was beloved,” said Denise Lindgren, who was in the monthly book club Schultz-Peters organized in their neighborhood. “She’d walk into the room and just light it up.”

Schultz-Peters loved dogs, especially big ones. She had recently lost her Great Dane, Luther, who was even larger than Sophie. Lindgren remembers seeing her friend driving with the sunroof open and Luther’s head sticking out.

The last time she spoke with her was around Memorial Day, and Luther had just been euthanized. Lindgren brought her friend a card with the photo of the sunroof ride.

“Everybody had seen that at one time or another, I’m sure, in this neighborhood,” she said. “That’s the laugh and the fun and I wanted her to have it.”

Schultz-Peters was also known for being dedicated to her patients. Friends say she worked long hours and got sick with COVID several times as she cared for the ill.

"She's that angel in healthcare," Lindgren said.

During her time off,Schultz-Peters liked to head to the beach. One of her spots was the Nash Street access. It sits just south of the city between Springmaid Pier and Myrtle Beach State Park.

Authorities said the accident happened just after the beach patrol truck pulled onto the sand from the access.

Brian and Cindy Stanford were sitting near the ocean when they heard screams. They saw the truck and immediately ran to it.

They found Schultz-Peters pinned beneath the Ford Ranger’s front passenger tire. Having served in the Marines, Brian Stanford knew the officer couldn’t move the truck or risk further injury.

So he grabbed the front bumper and yelled for others to help. A group of men gathered at the truck and lifted. They got it just high enough to slide Schultz-Peters out.

Two paramedics who happened to be on the beach jumped in to help Cindy Stanford, a registered nurse, try to stabilize Schultz-Peters.

Cindy Stanford said the injured woman was still able to speak and gave her a passcode so she could access her phone to let someone use it to make a call.

“She seemed like a sweet lady,” Brian Stanford said.

“We’re praying for her family and for his,” Cindy Stanford said, referring to the officer. “It’s so heartbreaking.”

Schultz-Peters was a widow who lived alone, but she left an impression on those around her, friends say. Her brother Tony Schultz said she was known for caring about people.

“Everybody knew her around here,” he said.

Standing outside her narrow blue house, he’d just gotten into town from Florida and was working on her obituary. He was still thinking of the right words to say about his older sister. He teared up when talking about Sophie, the dog he’s now caring for.

He also said he was still learning about what had happened. He didn't know anything about the officer who’d been driving the truck, but he worried about him.

“We pray for him, too,” he said.