Two South Carolina deputies were fired this week over the drowning of two female mental health patients who they were transporting in a van that was overtaken by floodwaters following Hurricane Florence.
The incident has been subject to ongoing investigations and on Wednesday the Horry County Sheriff's Office announced that Stephen Flood and Joshua Bishop had been axed from the department.
The two officers were transporting Wendy Newton and Nicolette Green to a correctional facility on Sept. 18 due to involuntary commitment when the incident took place, NBC News reported.
They were traveling in a van in the aftermath of Florence, a Category 1 hurricane that tore through the Carolinas on Sept. 14, causing widespread flooding.
The deputies attempted to drive around the barricade on the night they were transporting Newton and Green, when the van was overtaken by the floodwaters.
According to NBC News, the deputies reportedly tried to free the women but were unable to help them and were forced to seek refuge atop the van.
The two women's bodies were recovered nearly 24 hours later from the submerged van, and their official cause of death was ruled as drowning, WMBF noted.
Green's sister, Donnela Green-Johnson, said the deputies' termination was "the first formal acknowledgment there was wrongdoing," according to The Sun News. "It helps a little bit with the healing," she added.
No further details surrounding the employment termination has been provided due to ongoing internal investigations, the Sheriff's office said.
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