Official Tells Workers To Quit Or 'Go Kill Yourself’

An official in Richland County, South Carolina, raised some eyebrows for a comment he made at a staff meeting in which he told his employees to end their lives. He was later forced to resign.

Assistant County Administrator Kevin Bronson made the comment to the emergency medical service people he oversees after they complained about their working conditions.

“If it’s that bad, you can leave. You can leave or go kill yourself,” Bronson told his employee Saturday, according to WSOC, an ABC news affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“The room erupted in emotion,” an employee, who asked to remain anonymous, told WSOC. “People were crying. People were yelling at him. One, we just lost a deputy because of suicide. Two, I don't think he understands the gravity of the situation. We're not here for the money, we're here because we love what we do .”

The meeting had around 100 people in it.

Bronson handed in his letter of resignation Monday after his comments caused a firestorm among emergency service personnel, firefighters and police, according to WCSC, a CBS news affiliate in Charleston, South Carolina.

“My disrespectful words hurt and offended many people in the Richland County Government, especially the EMS workers, EMS workers across this country and surviving friends and families of loved ones of suicide,” Bronson wrote. “I am sorry … (it was a) horrible and terrible thing for me to say.”

Bronson said in the statement that he had hoped to stay in the position to right his actions but deemed that inappropriate.

Richland County Administrator Gerald Seals also released a statement condemning the comments.

“While public recounting of the incident has been mischaracterized, the fact that such comments were made will not be tolerated. Although this Assistant Administrator promptly apologized, more needed to be done — and he has been disciplined. On behalf of Richland County, I also apologize for what happened and regret that an employee in the Administrator’s Office spoke in such a manner,” said Seals.