Former Horry County officer hit, killed woman on beach because of his ‘inattention,’ report says

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — The former Horry County police officer who hit and killed a woman on the beach in June hit her because of his “inattention,” according to a South Carolina Department of Public Safety report.

Julian “Duke” Brown contributed to the crash that killed Sandra Schultz-Peters, 66, on June 13 at a beach access near Nash Street in the Myrtle Beach area, according to the report. It happened between the Myrtle Beach State Park and the Doubletree Resort by Hilton.

Brown was driving north on the beach at about 6 mph when he hit Schultz-Peters, who did not contribute to the crash, while she was facing the ocean, the report shows.

He was tested for alcohol and drugs, but the results are not shown in the report. It also does not indicate if Brown might be charged.

Brown and the Horry County Police Department were sued by Schultz-Peters’ family weeks later.

Brown, who joined Horry County police in 1988, retired from the department last month. He was expected to have his service weapon declared surplus and handed over to him as a symbolic gesture of thanks that’s routine for retiring officers.

News13 requested the incident report from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety on June 13. The report was sent on Friday.

News13 has also reached out to Horry County police for a comment. As of this writing, we have not heard back. Count on us for updates.

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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here .

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