5 officers fired after man kills himself in interrogation room using shoelaces

Five Georgia police officers have been fired for failing to properly monitor a 60-year-old man who killed himself in an interrogation room — and then mocking his death with a heartless meme, department officials said.

The Savannah Police Department confirmed the terminations Monday in connection to the April 3 suicide of William Harvey, who was found dead in an interview room at police headquarters, where he was being questioned in connection to an aggravated assault.

“Upon discovery of Harvey, officers attempted life-saving measures; however, officers were unable to revive him,” department officials said in a statement. “All officers connected to the incident were placed on administrative leave.”

Evidence showed Harvey died by hanging himself with his own shoelaces and his death was ruled a suicide by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, authorities said.

A subsequent probe by Savannah police and the GBI led to the firing of two officers, Sgt. Michael Kerr and Cpl. Silver Leuschner, and the suspension of a third cop, Officer Matthew White.

Francys Johnson, an attorney for Harvey’s family, said city officials told him the cops didn’t turn on cameras in the room while he was left alone.

“They failed to take the most basic step in policing,” Johnson said. “That’s beyond the pale. We shouldn’t be left to guess what happened in an interrogation room because it should be recorded.”

A second investigation launched in late April regarding a group chat message sent by one unnamed officer with an “inappropriate” hanging meme then led to the termination of three additional officers: Sgt. Christopher Hewett, Cpl. Erica Tremblay and Officer David Curtis.

All of the officers except Curtis appealed their firings to city officials, but the terminations were upheld, department officials said.

Police Chief Roy Minter said Tuesday that he didn’t believe the officers had “any malicious intent” in their actions, but still had to be disciplined, the Savannah Morning News reported.

“They didn’t follow department policy and procedure,” Minter told reporters, claiming there was no larger issue plaguing the department. “Of course, poor decisions have consequences and in this particular situation, it had severe consequences.”

Minter, a 35-year law enforcement vet, said the in-custody suicide of a person left alone in an interview room was a first for him.

“Talking to a couple of Savannah Police Department veterans … to their knowledge, this has never happened before in the SPD,” Minter said Tuesday.

Minter said he saw video of Harvey inside the room and said it was “hard to watch,” the Savannah Morning News reported.

GBI officials had previously said there was no footage capturing Harvey’s death because officers had left the interrogation room, but Minter acknowledged there was video from the officers’ body-worn camera prior to them leaving.

Minter declined to provide details on the hanging meme that led to three officers being fired, but said their actions were “very inappropriate” and claimed other employees said how “embarrassed they were” by the image, according to the report.

“That tells me we don’t have a cultural issue inside the department,” Minter said. “We have an issue with individuals inside the department who made another very poor decision.”

With AP wires