Horry County police say an argument at a Little River home Monday night led to two men shooting and killing each other. A third person was wounded by gunfire.

Two of the victims left the scene of the shooting and were being taken to a hospital for treatment along with two other people in a privately-owned car, when the car caught fire on Highway 31, apparently due to a mechanical problem, according to Lt. Keith Strickland.

Firefighters put out the fire and EMS crews took the two wounded men to the hospital. One of them was treated for a gunshot wound on his leg and released. Brandon Alston, 28, died at the hospital.

The two other people in the car were questioned by detectives.

Marlin Coward, 34, of Little River also died of multiple gunshot wounds.

The men got into an argument over a card game at Coward's home in Little River and fired shots at each other, Strickland said.

The third person who was wounded by gunfire will not be charged.

"Based on our investigation again from witness testimony as well as the physical evidence that we were able to process from the crime scene from our forensics unit, all that indicates that the person who survived their gunshot wounds was in fact a victim in this case and was not a shooter," Strickland said.

Strickland said two children, believed to be 8 and 10 years old, were in the home when the shooting occurred around 8 p.m. Monday.