Anderson Woman Killed By Shotgun Blast During Hunting Trip

What was supposed to be a fun outing of deer hunting turned into a tragic nightmare for a group of family and friends on Saturday evening in Florence County, South Carolina. The nightmare ended when an Anderson woman died, as reported by investigators with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to Live 5 News.

Samantha Moore was the victim identified by Florence County Coroner Keith von Lutcken in the hunting incident which occurred off of McCutcheon Road in Lake City around 6:35 p.m. The 25-year-old victim was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to SC Now.

Moore’s cousin, Carly Fields revealed to Independent Mail that Samantha and a group of two other couples were walking through the woods trailing a deer around 6 p.m. when the unthinkable happened.

Suddenly a member of the hunting party stepped into a hole, causing her to fall and the shotgun she was holding discharged, as reported by Capt. Robert McCullough with SCDNR to Live 5 News.

Samantha Moore was hit by the shotgun blast.

While the case is under investigation and an autopsy was scheduled for Sunday, Capt. McCullough does not expect there to be any charges.

Samantha Moore was a surgical technologist with the Greenville Health System. Samantha had been a therapist for her cousin Misty Moore’s autistic son for four years. Misty told Independent Mail that Samantha had spent every day during that time with the family. Misty said that Samantha had been considering going to nursing school in recent days.

But what Samantha was most excited about was her recent wedding engagement on December 13 to the young man she had been dating since eighth grade.

One of Samantha’s close friends told WSPA, “Samantha was one of the best people I had ever met in my entire life. She had the best heart and the most beautiful personality. Life for anyone that knew her, will never be the same.”

Live 5 News reports that Capt. McCullough warns hunters to use extreme safety measures when hunting. He said “hunters can take precautions to keep similar tragedies from occurring by always unloading weapons when moving to or from hunting locations and to always point guns in a safe direction. He recommends keeping guns’ actions open and clear of ammunition when hunters are not actively using their weapons.”

Samantha’s cousin, Misty, remembers her fondly as she reveals to Independent Mail that “Samantha loved her family and her pet dog, a white Chihuahua named Boey.”

“She just loved life and took hold of it, and made the best of whatever,” Misty said.

[ Photo Credit Facebook.com, IndependentMail.com ]