Mayor killed in a South Carolina town that led to the resignation of the entire police force

The little one South Carolina the city of McColl, whose entire police force quit earlier this month, has been thrown into a new crisis after primary died during a car accident.

While being pursued by deputies in neighboring Marlboro County on Tuesday afternoon, McColl Mayor George Garner II was killed in a head-on collision with an 18-wheeler.

MEET THE NEW CONGRESS: FRESHMEN AND SENATE ELECTED TO SERVE NEXT YEAR

“When the incident occurred, Mr. Garner was being pursued by a Marlboro County deputy. The pursuit was unrelated to the violation of any law. The pursuit was conducted in an effort to protect the welfare of Mr. Garner,” said Todd Hardee, the Darlington County Coroner, adding that “he will make a determination as to how this death occurred in the coming days.”

The town of McColl has about 2,000 residents. His late mayor, Garner, was connected to a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigation at the time of his death. Details of the SLED probe remain unknown. The law enforcement agency did not respond to Washington Examinerhis request for comment.

Marlboro County Emergency Management praised Garner as “a truly outstanding individual” in a Facebook post postadding: “Our hearts are heavy at this difficult time.”

DEMOCRATS LOOK FOR ANSWERS AS BARACK OBAMA’S INFLUENCE DECLINES

The shocking death follows an announcement on November 21 by the city’s five-strong police force, which similarly dumbfounded the palmetto state.

Citing budget cuts and alleged harassment and personal attacks by one of McColl’s six city council members, former Chief Bob Hale led his colleagues to resign from the city’s police department.

“This lack of investment has hindered our ability to operate at the standard that the citizens of the City of McColl expect and rightfully deserve,” Hale said in a Facebook post. “The safety of residents and the well-being of officers should have been prioritized by committing the resources necessary to build a department capable of addressing the complexities of 21st century policing. Unfortunately, this has not been the case and most of my tenure as Chief of Police has been spent clearing the names of my officers, as well as mine, of the many lies that have been made against us.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

At the time, Garner said the news put the community in a “difficult situation.”

“We are actively working to hire a new police chief and more officers,” the late mayor said.