Five Georgia officers fired after man’s hanging death in police custody

Five police officers in Savannah, Ga., have been fired after a man in police custody hanged himself at the beginning of April.

The Savannah Police Department on Monday announced it had closed two investigations following the death of William Harvey — one connected to the death itself and another into a group chat that referenced the in-custody suicide — and fired five officers.

Harvey was taken into custody to be questioned in an aggravated assault case on April 3. He died while alone in an interview room, authorities said. A medical examiner ruled the death a suicide.

The Savannah Police Department’s Professional Standards Unit launched an investigation into the four officers on the scene, while the Georgia Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation into Harvey’s death.

One officer was fired at the end of the investigation for an unrelated incident, another was suspended for the death and two were fired in connection with the suicide. 

The department launched another investigation at the end of April into a group chat between officers where a “message referred to the in-custody death investigation and had an inappropriate meme/GIF attached.”

Three officers were fired in connection to the chat. 

Mawuli Mel Davis, the attorney representing the family, said there is a potential for a civil lawsuit, USA Today reported.

“It’s just been hard finding out what happened and how it happened,” said Michael Harvey, William Harvey’s family member. “We had so many questions and we’ve got some answers. But we’re not going to stop until we get all our questions answered.

“We just want to know the truth. We just want to know why this happened,” he added.