SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – According to police, William Zachery Harvey was taken to police headquarters last Saturday morning for questioning about a serious assault case.

While he was in the interview room, police said he was injured with an item that he brought with him. The man later died from these injuries.

The affected Savannah police force has been placed on administrative leave in accordance with the department’s guidelines.

Now we’re hearing from Harvey’s family.

The family says they are devastated by his death. They say they want Savannah to know what kind of man he was and that they ask for answers.

The family and their lawyer met at Savannah Police Headquarters Friday afternoon, nearly a week after the GBI began investigating Harvey’s death. His family say he was a kind and loving man who enjoyed life, made people laugh, and was deeply loved by his community and those close to him.

Harvey’s mother announced that he was her only son and her primary caregiver.

She says, like the rest of the family, she just wants answers about what happened to him.

“He was the closest to God for me because he saw that I was eating. He saw that I was taking my medicine. He did everything for me. He was my lifeline to this world. I don’t know if I’ll make it and that’s why I’m here because I want to know what happened to my child. I want to know it. I need to know. Mothers, I cry today, but it could be you tomorrow, the next day, every day, ”said his mother Shirley Harvey Francis.

Several Savannah alder women came to offer their condolences to the family. Alderwoman Post 1 – By and large, Kesha Gibson-Carter expects a full and transparent investigation.

“We are responsible for ensuring that every citizen who enters this door, whether you are a victim, whether you are charged or whether you are being investigated. You should go out and go home. You should go out and be taken into custody in jail. You shouldn’t leave this department and go to your grave, ”Gibson-Carter said.

The family’s lawyer says they have not received any additional information about this investigation and are deeply concerned about how Harvey lost his life while in police custody.

“What we do know about an interrogation room is that it is supposed to be a place where interrogation takes place, which means that there is an officer there and is constantly being watched. It is absolutely confusing and worrying for us when someone has enough time to supposedly commit suicide, ”said Mawuli Davis, Davis Bozeman Johnson Law Firm.

Davis and the family are asking anyone with information about this investigation to contact them or the police.

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