The Savannah Police Department fired five officers in connection to the death of a man who died while in custody in Georgia earlier this year.

The Professional Standards Unit closed two separate investigations on Monday regarding the death of William Harvey, who killed himself while he was left alone in an interview room on April 3, the department announced in a press release.

Two officers were fired as a result of the incident, while a third was suspended. Sgt. Michael Kerr and Cpl. Silver Leuschner were fired for policy violations related to Harvey’s interview, though officials did not specify what direct actions prompted their firing.

Francys Johnson, an attorney for the Harvey family, told the Associated Press that city officials said they were fired for having neglected to turn on the surveillance camera when leaving him alone in the interrogation room.

“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.”

Officer Matthew White was suspended as a result of the investigation, while Officer Rodheem Greene was fired as a result of a previous investigation that was not connected to this one.

A second, separate investigation was launched in late April after one officer sent a group chat a message about the in-custody death investigation and included an inappropriate meme.

As a result of the secondary investigation, three more officers, Sgt. Christopher Hewett, Cpl. Erica Tremblay, and Officer David Curtis, were fired.

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In both cases, every officer other than Curtis appealed their terminations to the chief and city manager and had their dismissals upheld.

Original Location: Five Savannah police officers fired in connection to in-custody death of William Harvey

The Savannah Police Department fired five officers in connection to the death of a man who died while in custody. Photo courtesy City of Savannah.