Police investigate death of man found in ocean with gunshot wound

North Myrtle Beach police are investigating the death of a man who was found in the ocean with an apparent gunshot wound Saturday.

A person related to the man called the North Myrtle Beach Public Safety Department Friday night and asked officers to check on him. The caller told police the man was staying in a unit at the Buena Vista Plaza, 4000 North Ocean Blvd., and said that the man was going through a divorce and appeared to be depressed and suicidal.

Police went to the unit where he was staying but could not find him there, according to North Myrtle Beach city spokesman Pat Dowling. Police then checked the beach area but did not find him.

When the tide went out early Saturday morning, his body was found in the ocean, and the man appeared to be dead from an apparent gunshot wound, Dowling said. A gun was recovered from the scene about 10 feet away from the body.

Although the case appears to be a suicide, Dowling said, police are continuing to investigate the incident.

This story was originally published July 10, 2016 at 11:51 AM with the headline "Police investigate death of man found in ocean with gunshot wound."