Family and friends buried Charles A. Harvey on Friday, four days after he was shot to death while confronting East Ridge police officers.
Randy Crane Jr., Harvey’s son, declined an interview on the day of the funeral. But earlier this week, he said the event shocked the family and was out of character for his father.
“In my opinion this was a plea for help from my father,” Crane said. “I just want everybody to know my daddy was a kind and loving man.”
Crane said his father had a history of unrelieved physical pain from multiple back surgeries and two hip replacements.
Harvey called East Ridge 911 on Monday. He told the operator he was in the parking lot of the East Ridge Fire and Police Service Center and he had a “serious problem.” When two officers came outside, he made a move toward a weapon in his waistband and was shot. The weapon turned out to be a pellet gun, authorities said.
A report from the Hamilton County medical examiner shows there were four gunshot wounds on the body of the 54-year-old Rossville man.
The report diagram shows three entry wounds — one in the left chest near the shoulder, one in the upper right back and the third in the inner left ankle. A bullet graze wound to the groin marked the fourth gunshot wound.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into the incident, which is standard procedure with officer-involved shootings.
Todd South covers courts and the military for the Times Free Press. He has worked at the paper for three years and previously covered crime and safety in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia. Todd’s hometown is Dodge City, Kan. He served five years in the U.S. Marine Corps and deployed to Iraq before returning to school for his journalism degree from the University of Georgia. Todd previously worked at the Anniston (Ala.) Star. Contact Todd ...
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