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Five Police Officers Fired After 60-Year-Old Man Died by Hanging in Custody

Three of the officers involved were fired after an investigation found a group chat mocking the 60-year-old man’s death in a police interview room.

Five police officers in Georgia have been kicked off the force after a 60-year-old man took his own life while in custody, authorities said. The Savannah Police Department confirmed the firings in connection with the April 3 death of William Harvey. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation found that the officers left Harvey in the interview room and came back later to find him unconscious, with neck injuries apparently caused by shoelaces. His death was ruled a suicide. All officers involved were initially placed on administrative leave, and two were subsequently fired following an investigation. Three more were then fired after a second investigation found a message in a group chat between other officers referring to Harvey’s death with an “inappropriate meme/GIF attached,” police said. In a statement, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said he didn’t believe the officers had malicious intent, but “the result was deadly. And for that, I believe the decision to terminate was appropriate.”