GEORGETOWN, S.C. — A Murrells Inlet Post Office worker and mother of three young children was gunned down by her ex-boyfriend Wednesday morning, police say, as the series of domestic-related deaths in Georgetown County continues.
The alleged shooter — 40-year-old Wyatt Bryant — reportedly turned the gun on himself as authorities were about to arrest him in connection with the death of Sheinia L. Wilson, 29, of Myrtle Beach.
Wilson, who was known as “Toya” to her friends and co-workers at the post office, died shortly after the attack.
She left behind an 11-year-old son, Yancey, a 9-year-old daughter, Myra, and a 3-year-old daughter, Tina.
There is a fund set up for the Wilson family at local Conway National Banks.
Wilson will be remembered as a happy, responsible person who was always willing to help other people.
Looking for help
Novette Green, a good friend and colleague of Wilson’s, said Wilson was very distracted the morning before the attack.
“Anyone who knew Toya knew she always kept a smile on her face,” Green said. “That day, she had a blank look on her face and said she had a headache.”
Serving as a substitute carrier for the post office, Green said Wilson was gassing up at the Kangaroo station to go on a mail delivery route when the attack occurred.
Green said Wilson had confided in her that she was afraid for her life.
Wilson had called the Horry County Sheriff’s Office the night before, Green said, to get help because Bryant had been stalking her and harassing her.
Green said she and Wilson were planning to go to Conway that afternoon to seek protection, and so Wilson could file for full custody of her kids.
“She said to me, ‘I hope he doesn’t kill me in front of my kids,’” Green said. “I wish I could have helped her, but I didn’t think it would come to that. She didn’t deserve to die like that.”
Timeline of events
The incident began at a little before 11 a.m. Wednesday when Wilson was in the parking lot of the Kangaroo gas station located at 658 Wachesaw Road.
Bryant saw Wilson near the gas pumps, so he pulled up and the two began to argue.
The altercation became more heated, then Wilson began running towards the store, authorities said.
Instead of running inside, she jumped into the car of a stranger who was about to drive away.
Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Neil Johnson said that’s when Bryant opened fire, striking Wilson several times.
The man in the car did not know where the hospital was located, so he drove to the Sheriff's Office Substation on Murrells Inlet Road.
Officers then transported her to Waccamaw Community Hospital, where she died shortly before 12:30 p.m.
A search began in both Georgetown and Horry Counties looking for Bryant, who left the scene in a black Dodge Caliber.
Shortly after 1 p.m., the vehicle was spotted in front of Bryant’s home near Burcale Road in Myrtle Beach.
Law enforcement from both counties — including a SWAT Team — surrounded the house and began speaking with Bryant inside.
The conversations lasted for about 45 minutes, but when authorities were about to enter the residence, they heard a gunshot inside, said Sgt. Robert Kegler with at the Horry County Police Department.
Bryant had fatally shot himself.
It was not Bryant's first run-in with authorities. According to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, he was convicted of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in 1998.
He was sentenced to nine years in prison.
A heartbroken mother
Wilson’s mother, Dale Smalls, told a Myrtle Beach TV station she was on the phone with her daughter when Bryant drove up and the two began arguing.
Wilson confirmed to her mother that it was Bryant she heard yelling in the background, according to the report. She told her mother she was going to try to calm him down and then hung up.
Smalls described her daughter as her “heart” and her “everything.”
Shocked friends
Co-workers at the Murrells Inlet Post Office agree that Wilson was an outgoing and friendly person.
“She would always lend a hand to anyone who needed help,” said Kena Nelson, a close friend and co-worker.
Teresa Pyatt, another close friend and co-worker, said the morning before she was killed, Wilson helped four different carriers with their mail.
“She had a heart of gold,” Pyatt said. “She substituted for nine routes and we called her ‘Speedy Gonzalez’ because she could get mail done quicker than anybody.”
Leta Hudson, another co-worker, said looking back she can’t believe how Wilson made her rounds that morning.
“She didn’t deserve this,” Hudson said.
Pyatt said she thinks Wilson was saying good-bye to everyone because she somehow knew something bad was about to happen.
Brandi Alston, another co-worker described Wilson as a “loving, faithful, trustworthy, honest angel.”
Domestic-related killings
Wednesday’s killing is one of several domestic-related killings in the area in recent years.
In December, 31-year-old Irone Canteen of Choppee was killed when he was shot in the head while at the Georgetown home of his girlfriend.
Her ex-boyfriend, 29-year-old Antonio Thomas, has been charged with murder.
Last January, Richard Lawhon allegedly shot and killed his wife, Hannah, inside their Murrells Inlet home before shooting himself to death.
Rita Lobianco, a manager for Citizens Against Spouse Abuse (CASA), said there are multiple reasons for domestic violence.
“The state of the economy can be a big factor. A husband or wife loses their job and the bills are due. It causes major stress,” she said.
Another factor is many people grew up in violent homes and are continuing the pattern they learned as children.
Lobianco said that is why CASA has programs set up to teach children the best way to handle their emotions.
She said the programs are set up to try to break the generational violence cycle.
Along with their various programs to help women in violent relationships, CASA also has shelter they can provide women needing an escape.
To find out more, call CASA at 448-6206.
Donations to the Wilson family can be made at any Conway National Bank location. The name of the account is the Sheinia Wilson Fund.
By Scott Harper
and Clayton Stairs
Staff writers