‘Dynamic’ elementary school principal is shot and killed, South Carolina officials say

Wendy Cook was a beloved elementary school principal known for bringing her “dynamic” personality to her job in South Carolina.

But the 54-year-old school administrator’s life was cut short when she was shot and killed over the weekend, according to news outlets and an obituary posted on the Cooper Funeral Home website.

“It was just unbelievable,” Ray Rogers, superintendent for Dillon School District Four, told WPDE. “Pray for us. Because we got our hands full.”

Overnight Saturday, Aug. 20, the Dillon County Sheriff’s Office said it was called to Southwind Road, in the Dillon area and roughly 60 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach. While at the scene, Cook was found dead, WMBF reported.

Cook had been shot, and her death was ruled a homicide, the Dillon County Coroner’s Office told news outlets.

Now, a 31-year-old is accused in her death. News outlets didn’t list attorney information for the man, identified as Kyle Church.

Officials said he and Cook knew each other. He was arrested and “charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime,” according to WBTW and WMBF.

After Cook’s death, education leaders remembered her as a Stewart Heights Elementary principal who had worked almost 25 years for Dillon School District Four.

“Just in shock,” the district’s superintendent told WPDE. “You know, (disbelief). Knowing what a dynamic administrator she was. And dynamic person. How she loves her kids.”

The S.C. state superintendent said in a statement that she was “saddened” by the loss.

“Her colleagues and friends in Dillon County School District 4 talk about the great work she did leading her school and the many impacts she had on her students and staff,” Molly Spearman wrote in a Facebook post. “My deepest condolences are with the entire Dillon school community as they grieve this loss.”

The Dillon County Coroner’s Office and the Dillon County Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on Aug. 23.

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