Mayor George Garner II Obituary, Death: South Carolina mayor killed in crash was under law enforcement investigation.
Mayor George Garner II Obituary, Death – George Garner II, the mayor of McColl, South Carolina, tragically died in a car crash on Tuesday afternoon while being pursued by sheriff’s deputies. The incident occurred around 2:40 p.m. in the Darlington County town of Mechanicsville. Garner, who had recently been reelected as mayor of the small town of approximately 1,900 residents, was driving a 2007 Chevy Tahoe when the accident happened.
According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, Garner veered into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a Volvo tractor-trailer. He was alone in his vehicle and was transported to a nearby hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The driver of the tractor-trailer also sustained injuries and received treatment at the same hospital. The extent of their injuries has not been disclosed.
Darlington County Coroner J. Todd Hardee confirmed that Garner was being pursued by a Marlboro County sheriff’s deputy at the time of the crash. However, Hardee clarified in a statement posted on Facebook that the pursuit was not related to any criminal activity. “The pursuit was taking place in an effort to protect the well-being of Mr. Garner,” he wrote. The circumstances leading to the pursuit remain unclear, and the crash is under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol’s Major Accident Investigation Team.
Efforts to obtain additional information from the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Department have been unsuccessful, and the South Carolina Highway Patrol has not provided further comments to the media.
The crash comes amid a period of turmoil in McColl’s local government and law enforcement. Last month, the town’s police chief and four other officers, representing the entire police force, resigned. In a now-deleted social media post, the officers cited “unwanted and malicious behavior” as their reason for stepping down. This development left the town without a local police force, further complicating McColl’s governance.
Additionally, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) confirmed that Garner was the subject of an active investigation at the time of his death. However, no details about the nature or scope of the investigation have been disclosed.
Garner’s death has left many questions unanswered, including the reasons for the sheriff’s pursuit and the ongoing investigation involving the mayor. The crash and the surrounding circumstances have drawn attention to McColl’s leadership challenges and the broader issues facing the town. As the investigation continues, residents and officials alike grapple with the sudden loss of their mayor and the ongoing uncertainties about his final days.
