Man falls to his death trying to escape hotel shooting, authorities say

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF/Gray News) - A 27-year-old man died after falling multiple stories while “fleeing” from gunshots inside a South Carolina hotel room, the coroner’s office said.

Myrtle Beach Police were called to the sixth floor of Hotel Blue just after 1 a.m. Sunday for a disturbance. An investigation revealed the disturbance led to several shots being fired inside a room, WMBF reports.

Investigators say a man, identified as 27-year-old Jorge Orellana by the Horry County Coroner’s Office, left the room where the shots were fired and tried to climb down the back of the building. He fell six stories to the ground.

Orellana was taken to the hospital, where he died, according to the coroner’s office.

Police say no one was injured by gunfire in the incident.

Daniel Richardson, who is visiting the city with his family, says he heard the shots while listening to music on his hotel balcony.

“It cut through the music. It was a very different bang than a bass,” he said.

After the incident, Richardson says his family thought about leaving early to keep their kids safe, but the police response convinced them to stay for the rest of their vacation.

“It seemed like it was handled really quickly,” he said.

Police say everyone in the room where the shots were fired has been identified, and the gun has been recovered.

This is an active investigation. Anyone with additional information is asked to call 843-918-1382 and reference case number 24-006574.

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