A Georgia elementary school teacher and devoted father is being mourned as a hero after authorities say he died while trying to rescue a young girl from a dangerous rip current off Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Derrick Moore, 47, rushed into the ocean near 10th Avenue South around 7:53 p.m. Friday after the child was swept into trouble by the current, the Myrtle Beach Police Department said.
Police said Moore managed to bring the girl back to safety, but moments later the rip current dragged him beneath the water and he vanished. The rescue unfolded after lifeguards were no longer on duty for the day.
Derrick Moore, a Georgia teacher and father, is being remembered for his heroic final act after saving a young girl from a rip current in Myrtle Beach. (DeKalb County School District)
Search efforts by Myrtle Beach police and fire crews continued through the night and into Saturday morning. By Saturday afternoon, police said Moore’s body had washed ashore and was recovered.
Moore’s daughter told WRAL that her father did not know the girl he jumped into the water to help.
“We loved him and are truly heartbroken that he’s gone,” his daughter said in a statement to the outlet. “He was a great father and we are all going to miss him.”
According to a GoFundMe page, Moore is survived by four children.
As news of his death spread, tributes poured in from Moore’s friends, former teammates and family members, who remembered him as a devoted father, gifted athlete and selfless man whose final act reflected the way he lived his life.
Derrick Moore, the Georgia teacher who died after rescuing a young girl from a Myrtle Beach rip current, pictured in an undated family photo. (GoFundMe)
The DeKalb County School District confirmed Moore was a current teacher at Rockbridge Elementary School in Georgia, where his students affectionately referred to him as “Coach.” He previously taught at Jolly Elementary School.
“The DeKalb County School District is deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Derrick Moore, a beloved educator and valued member of the DeKalb County School District (DCSD) family,” the district said in a statement.
The district said Moore “made a meaningful impact on the students, families, colleagues, and communities he served,” adding that his “presence, care, and dedication to education will be deeply missed.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also paid tribute to Moore.
“Marty and I were heartbroken to learn of the tragic loss of Derrick Moore, a father, teacher, and coach,” Kemp said. “Please join us in praying for this hero’s family and the DeKalb County community as they mourn his loss.”
Derrick Moore pictured with family members before his death in a Myrtle Beach rip current rescue. (GoFundMe)
Moore was also remembered as a standout athlete whose ties to sports stretched back to his college years.
Samford University said Moore graduated in 2001 and competed in both football and track and field.
“The Samford community mourns the loss of alumnus Derrick Moore, who tragically passed after rescuing a girl struggling in a rip current in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,” the university said in a statement.
The university remembered Moore as a “beloved teacher” and “true hero” and asked the Samford community to keep his family in their prayers.
Friends and former teammates also remembered Moore as someone who showed up for others, with one writing that the fact he gave his life trying to save someone else “tells you everything you need to know about the kind of man he was.”
Family members echoed that sentiment, sharing memories of Moore as a devoted father, son and brother who made a point of being present for the people he loved.
One family member described Moore’s decision to enter the water to save a child he did not know as a fitting final example of his selflessness.
“You died a HERO. You died saving the life of a child, a stranger. What a Legacy,” the family member wrote.
