The Marine Corps announced Tuesday that it has relieved Col. Christopher J. Bronzi from his role as commander of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Lt. Gen. Steven Rudder, commanding officer of U.S. Marine Forces Pacific, fired Bronzi due to "a loss of trust and confidence in his ability to command" based on an investigation into an assault amphibious vehicle accident that killed nine service members in July 2020, according to a Marine Corps press release sent to UPI.

Colonel Fridrik Fridriksson will take command of 15th MEU, according to the Marine Corps.

The incident took place off the coast of San Clemente Island and killed eight Marines and one sailor.

According to his official biography, Bronzi is a 1996 graduate of the Naval Academy and took command of the 15th MEU in 2019.

In October, the Marines fired Lt. Col Michael Regner, then the commander of Battalion Landing Team ¼ with the 15th MEU, due to the accident, Marine Corps Times described as the deadliest AAV accident in the branch's history.

In an emailed statement to UPI, Capt. Andrew Wood said the investigation into the cause of the incident is complete, and that investigation results are being sent to the families of the deceased.

Once all family members have received the investigation results, details will be made public, Wood said.

The OC Register reported last fall that two investigations on the incident were in progress -- one by 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and one by the Naval Safety Center.

The Marines' investigation has focused on the vehicle's watertight integrity, leadership decisions and whether training protocols were followed, where the Naval Safety Center is inspecting the vehicle to see why it sank.

It is not clear when the latter report will be released, the Register reported Sunday.

"I don't just want answers from the report. I want justice," Christiana Sweetwood, whose son, Chase, was killed in the accident, told the newspaper.

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