South Carolina Teacher Shoots Her Two Minor Children Dead Before Killing Herself

A woman reportedly shot her two minor children to death before turning the gun on herself in an apparent murder-suicide in South Carolina on Wednesday, Aug. 31.

The tragic deaths came to light after the Horry County Police were called for a welfare check at the home of 42-year-old Laura Moberly following reports of gunfire at about 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 31. At the scene, the law enforcement found Moberly and her two children, 11-year-old Eric, and 8-year-old Emily, dead of gunshot wounds inside the residence, Daily News reported.

According to the Horry County Coroner’s Office, the shooting reportedly took place at around 6 a.m. earlier that day.

Moberly has reportedly worked as a reading loss interventionist at Carolina Forest Elementary School since 2018. Her daughter Emily attended the same school as a third-grader, and her son Eric was in seventh grade at Ten Oaks Middle School in the Horry County School District.

“HCPD is saddened to acknowledge the death of two young children in a shooting incident yesterday in the Carolina Forest area,” the Horry County Police Department said in a Facebook statement. “Around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, officers responded to a home on Centennial Circle for a welfare check. Upon arrival, it was determined that three people were deceased within the home.”

Horry County Police, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Child Fatality Unit, and the Horry County Coroner’s Office have launched an investigation into the alleged murder-suicide. The authorities are still trying to figure out the motive behind the shooting, the Independent reported.

Following the tragedy, the Horry County Schools released a statement offering the services of its trained counselors to students and school personnel affected by the loss of the Moberly family.

"We are at a loss for words after learning of the tragic incident that affected an entire family with ties to Horry County Schools,” the district said in a statement “We lift our strongest prayers for the Moberley family and for everyone who knew them. We encourage our community to keep our students and staff in their thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time.”