William Harvey
William Harvey, 60, was a loving son and uncle, according to his family, who want answers about how he died. He died in early April 2021 in an interview room at the Savannah Police Department, where he had been left alone after being questioned. An officer who left the room and came back found him hanging from his shoelaces. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation's preliminary finding is suicide, but his family and their attorneys dispute how the case has been handled, saying the room's camera was not activated and that officers ignored warning signs of distress. Several officers were fired over their roles in his death and over a group-text meme about it, and the GBI investigation was still active in mid-2021.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The GBI preliminary investigation ruled it a suicide by hanging, but his family and their lawyers question that finding, say officers left him alone and did not activate the interview room cameras, and call for an autopsy and video release.
Reported by: Georgia Bureau of Investigation (outside investigators); Savannah Police Department (the agency that held him); his family and their attorneys.
Sources (8)
- GBI Investigates In-Custody Death in Savannah
- Savannah Police employees on leave during investigation into ‘inappropriate meme’ shared about in-custody death case
- Three SPD Officers Suspended For 'Inappropriate Meme' After Death In Custody
- Savannah police officers fired after in-custody death
- Five Savannah Officers Fired After Death In Custody
- 5 Police Officers Are Fired After a Man in Custody Kills Himself (Published 2021)
- 5 officers fired after man kills himself in interrogation room using shoelaces
- The GBI has been called to Chatham County five times this year. Here is the status of those cases.