After the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump over the weekend, a North Carolina police officer hopped on Facebook and wrote, "Damn. Only about an inch away from making America great again…” WNCN-TV reported.

As you might imagine, the post proved a costly miscalculation.

'My attempt at dark humor was completely out of line and in poor taste.'

Detective Sgt. Brandon Richardson — a 24-year veteran of the Tarboro Police Department — is now on on administrative leave pending an internal investigation, WNCN reported. Tarboro is a town of just over 11,000 residents and sits a little over an hour east of Raleigh.

The police department in a Facebook post of its own Monday said it "is aware of an inappropriate social media post made by one of our officers. We take this matter very seriously, as it does not reflect the values and standards of our department."

The department's message added that after they caught wind of the post, officials took "immediate steps to address the situation: An internal investigation has been launched to determine the context and details surrounding the post. The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of this investigation. We are reviewing our social media policies to ensure they align with best practices and clearly communicate our expectations."

WNCN reported that Richardson issued an apology on his Facebook page that appears to have been taken down. The station reported that his post read in part, “My attempt at dark humor was completely out of line and in poor taste. I realize now that my words were not only inappropriate but also deeply offensive to many of you. For that, I am truly sorry.”

Richardson's post added that he takes full responsibility, WNCN noted, adding that he made an appeal to “keep Mr. Trump and his family in our thoughts as he heals from this physical and mental wound.”

WNCN reported that Richardson joined the Tarboro Police Department as a patrol officer in 2000 before being promoted to detective with the department’s investigation division in May 2014.

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