In the fading light of a November evening in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a life was tragically cut short in the parking lot of the Myrtle Beach Mall. Seventeen-year-old Rachel Nicole Lewis, a student at Conway High School, died on November 29, 2014, from a gunshot wound to the head. The incident, which unfolded near the Bass Pro Shop, was reported as an accidental shooting by a man who called the police.
When authorities arrived, they discovered Lewis on the pavement with a man holding
her. She was quickly transported to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead shortly before 9 p.m. Lewis was remembered by her cousin as a shy, quiet, and very smart girl who had a great deal of potential. Her family described her as a lover of animals and art.
In the wake of the shooting, 20-year-old Zackary Dwayne Floyd of Fairmont, North Carolina, was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter. The shooting was reported to have occurred while inside a black Chevrolet Tahoe. The general manager of the Myrtle Beach mall expressed his condolences to the families involved, stating that they were saddened to learn of the fatal accidental discharge of a firearm in a vehicle in their parking lot.
Rachel, who was born on November 16, 1997, was survived by her parents, Rick and Angela Lewis, as well as several siblings and grandparents. Her funeral services were held at Johnson Funeral Home of Aynor, followed by a burial at Hillcrest Cemetery.
