Last week, we reported that the mayor of Auburn, California had been forced to resign for comparing supporters of President Donald Trump to the Ku Klux Klan. Now, mere days after his resignation, the disgraced mayor was killed in a plane crash.

Auburn Mayor Bill Kirby was killed on Saturday when his plane crashed near Auburn Airport just after 11 a.m., according to Fox News. The 72-year-old was piloting the plane, which carried one other passenger who walked away with minor injuries. Kirby, who was a urologist, had been licensed as a pilot since 2009 and worked with the group Flying Doctors that helps run free medical clinics in rural villages.

BREAKING: A city official source confirms to @fox40 that Dr. Bill Kirby, the Auburn mayor who announced plans to resign Monday following social media backlash, died in this morning’s plane crash in North Auburn. Another passenger in the plane was injured, investigators say. https://t.co/5eNP8yUJt6 pic.twitter.com/e7wIwpkxQ7

— Bridgette Bjorlo (@bridgettebjorlo) April 19, 2020

Kirby’s family confirmed his death in a statement released through Sacramento political consultant Jeff Raimondo.

“Our family is devastated by this tragic news,” the statement said. “Bill devoted decades of enthusiastic and loving support to his family, his patients and the Auburn community he loved so much. We will miss him immensely but take comfort in knowing he died while flying – one of the other loves of his life.”

Kirby had been forced to resign as mayor days before his death, after social media posts came to light in which he shamed President Trump and his supporters. One of the posts included a photo of a Ku Klux Klan hood along with the caption, “Good news for Trump supporters is that most of them already have masks.”

Kirby then tried to defend his posts by saying he blames Trump for a lack of proper gear and testing capabilities in his work as a physician. “This president has put us all at risk,” he said.

Auburn’s mayor announced plans to step down Monday after outrage erupted over his recent social media posts regarding the president’s supporters.​ https://t.co/h3EXJ1i10B

— FOX40 News (@FOX40) April 14, 2020

Local residents expressed their fury at Kirby for his posts, however, with one person saying in a voicemail to the city council, “These comments are hateful, degrading, bigoted and more consistent with the mentality of a 15-year-old.”

Kirby did appear to be remorseful of his actions when confronted during the meeting. “I spent 40 years dedicating my life to serving the community of Auburn as a physician and through my volunteer efforts. Am I perfect? No. We’re all a little flawed,” he said.

Kirby was set to officially step down at the next city council meeting on April 27. While we feel that his posts were despicable, we certainly did not want any harm to come to him. May Kirby rest in peace, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.

This piece was written by PoliZette Staff on April 20, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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