A beloved Georgia elementary school teacher and father died after jumping into the ocean to save a young girl caught in a rip current off Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, according to authorities and his family.Derrick Moore, 47, entered the water near 10th Avenue South after a young girl became caught in a rip current at approximately 7:53 p.m.Friday, according to the Myrtle Beach Police Department.Moore was able to get the girl to safety but was then pulled underwater by the rip current and disappeared, police said.
The incident occurred after lifeguards had gone off duty.MAN, WOMAN KILLED IN RIP CURRENT AS LIFEGUARD SHORTAGE LEAVES DANGER ZONES IN BEACH DESTINATIONDerrick Moore, a Georgia teacher and father, is being remembered as a hero after saving a young girl from a rip current in Myrtle Beach.(DeKalb County School District)Myrtle Beach police and firefighters continued searching for Moore into Saturday morning.
Police announced Saturday afternoon that his body had washed ashore and was recovered.Moore's daughter told WRAL that her father did not know the girl he risked his life to save."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."Moore leaves behind four children, according to a GoFundMe page.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.HEROIC 16-YEAR-OLD LIFEGUARD RESCUES CHILD FROM MONSTER SURF IN HEART-STOPPING VIDEODerrick 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 taugh...