Johnathan Walker:South Carolina town mayor is killed in a car crash

SUMMERTON,Johnathan Walker S.C. (AP) — The mayor of the small South Carolina town of Summerton was killed in a weekend car crash, authorities said Sunday.

Clarendon County Coroner Jacqueline Blackwell said Tony Junious, 48, died in a wreck on Saturday. Blackwell confirmed that Junious was the mayor of Summerton, a town of about 800 people located about 45 miles (72 kilometers) southeast of Columbia.

South Carolina Highway Patrol Master Trooper William Bennett said two cars collided in an intersection west of Summerton and that the car Junious was driving then hit a ditch. He died at a hospital, Bennett said.

The driver of the other car was injured and taken to a hospital, Bennett said. The highway patrol is investigating the crash.

Junious was elected as the town’s first Black mayor in 2022, news outlets reported.

A post on the town’s Facebook page said residents were shocked and saddened by the mayor’s death.

“Mayor Tony Junious’ life was dedicated to public service and his love for the Town of Summerton was constantly on display,” the statement said.