A South Carolina town is demanding answers after their newly-elected mayor died in a car crash days after the town's police force quit over complaints.
Mayor George Garner II, 49, of McColl, was driving on Highway 34 in Mechanicsville when he veered left of the center line and collided with an 18-wheeler on November 26.
Emergency responders took Garner and the driver of the truck to a nearby hospital where the mayor succumbed to his injuries.
His death came just days after Police Chief Bob Hale and the town's four officers' resignation from their respective roles.
In a statement, Hale said he stepped down over alleged repeated harassment, personal attacks and the 'creation of a toxic work environment' by a town councilman.
Locals have now been left demanding answers over Garner's death, who have since described him as a 'real nice guy'.
One of his neighbors Bill Young told WMBF: 'It shocked me. It shocked me because it was like "Are you telling me the truth?.'
According to Young he went to school with Garner, and remembers him as being someone who would gladly reach out to those in need.
He added: 'The person that I knew was a real good guy, you know. He was a real nice guy. I saw him two days ago on his porch doing Christmas lights.'
Young added: 'We need leaders, we need somebody to take charge.'
Dave Price and his wife had been near the crash when the horrific events unfolded, telling the outlet of the aftermath.
Price said: 'It was just a large crunch. You could tell the person wasn’t surviving. We didn’t know anything at the time, but it didn’t look good.'
Temporary Mayor Brain Blue said in a statement: 'I want everyone to know the mayor loved his family and the people in the Town of McColl.
'He always told us whether he was in or out of office, he always wanted us to move the town in the right direction.
'And at this time, I would like for everybody to keep his family and the Town of McColl in your prayers as we deal with the loss of the mayor of McColl.'
According to local coroner Todd Hardee, the mayor was being pursued by a Marlboro County Deputy at the time of the crash.
However, he clarified in a Facebook post that he was not implying that any laws had been broken by the word 'pursuit' rather 'an effort to protect the well being of Mr. Garner'.
The coroner also said that he will make a ruling on the manner of death in the coming days.
Hale had claimed in his statement that the department was facing a depleted budget and said appeals for funding as well as training were being ignored.
Hale included allegations that for months, he had 'endured unwarranted and malicious behavior' aimed at undermining his integrity and leadership.
He said that the 'toxic atmosphere' at the department had 'hindered its ability to function effectively'.
'As a law enforcement leader, my primary duty is to serve and protect the people of this community while ensuring my team can operate with dignity and respect,' he said.
'The ongoing actions of this particular Councilman have made it impossible to fulfill this mission without compromising our principles and well-being.
'I also can't help but feel that these consistent negative acts were strategically used to inhibit the continued growth and success of the department.
'This lack of investment hampered our ability to operate at the standard the citizens of the Town of McColl rightfully expect and deserve.
'The safety of the residents and the well-being of the officers should have been prioritized by committing the necessary resources to build a department capable of addressing the complexities of 21st-century policing.
'Sadly, this was not the case and the majority of my tenure as Chief of Police was spent clearing the names of my officers as well as myself, from the numerous falsehoods that were made against us.'
Another officer who resigned also said: 'At the end of the day, I have a family and when my job's constantly getting threatened and certain things are getting said, I'm not going to stay somewhere and tolerate that,' according to WYFF.
Former McColl Investigator Courtney Bulusan added to Hale's comments and said her job too had faced challenges due to the lack of equipment.
'I was on my way to a call when that one just stopped working. We need cars,' Bulusan said.
The councilman has not been named by any of the officers in their respective statements. The police team's last working day was on November 22.
Since their mass resignation, town locals have been left worried about their safety.
At the time, Resident William Groom stressed over how many could be at risk now that there is no police force.
'Say if someone were stabbed or shot or whatever. Without police enforcement, they would have to come from the sheriff's office in Bennettsville
'We're talking 10 or 15 minutes and someone could possibly expire in that amount of time. Without police enforcement, it's definitely a bad situation', he said.
Prior to his death, Garner had asked the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office and other nearby agencies to help cover the town in the meantime.
He had also enlisted the help of the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division and assured residents that his office was actively working to hire a new Chief and officers, according to the New York Post.
A funeral service for the mayor will be held at 3pm on December 3 at McColl Church of God. Burial will follow at Rogers cemetery.