Surfside woman shot while protecting neighbor from domestic violence. What happened?

A woman living in Surfside was shot after she let a woman running away from a violent domestic abuse situation into her home.

Emily Tunstall, a domestic violence advocate, was shot in the femur the night of Sept. 12, allegedly by Neil Wayne Brown, 60, according to a GoFundMe setup for Tunstall . That day, Brown had gotten into a fight with Tunstall’s next door neighbors and began chasing them with a gun, The Sun News reported.

The Sun News was unable to reach Tunstall for comment.

“Two individuals who Emily recognized as neighbors, were running for their lives. They needed to seek shelter as a domestic violence situation had turned into a gun threatening, heated exchange. The neighbors ran to Emily’s house for safety and protection,” Tunstall’s GoFundMe said.

One of the people had already been shot when she entered the home. Tunstall went towards the front door of her and as she called 911, she heard more gunshots. Brown had shot her in the femur.

Brown also shot at Tunstall’s kitchen, front door and house in general, causing damage. After that, he went back to the first house and barricaded himself. It took police several hours to get him into custody, The Sun News reported.

The GoFundMe stated Tunstall and her husband have to pay out of pocket for the damages, which included cleaning up blood, repairing siding, replacing the front door and getting new appliances. She also has extensive medical bills.

Along with the unexpected bills, Tunstall is dealing with physical and mental trauma and has to relearn to walk.

Tunstall moved into the Surfside Beach area home with her husband in 2023. She currently works with domestic violence victims at the Family Justice Center in Myrtle Beach . She is also a prominent figure in the Murrells Inlet service industry.

The Tunstalls are trying to raise $20,000 to help pay for bills incurred from the shooting on Sept. 12.