Death of Joshua Harvey in Tulsa: The Tulsa World archive
Here's a look at the Tulsa World's coverage of the August 2018 death of Joshua Harvey and what has happened since.
Harvey died following a violent encounter with Tulsa Police officers in downtown Tulsa. Two officers deployed stun guns on Harvey, 25, delivering multiple short bursts of high-voltage electricity during about a three-minute period.
Harvey died three days later in a Tulsa hospital.
Aug. 24, 2018: Joshua Harvey tased by Tulsa police officers at downtown bank
The 25-year-old man died three days after the altercation, on Aug. 27, at St. John Medical Center.
Sept. 1, 2018: Tulsa police release body cam footage
In the video, officers first encounter Harvey in the street. Police responded to the scene after receiving numerous calls of a man in the street screaming and removing his clothes, according to the TPD statement.
The video shows police attempting to handcuff Harvey, but he is seen running in the direction of the bank.
Sept. 10, 2018: Family and attorney speak out; 20 attend vigil near bank
Joshua Harvey's mother and stepfather, Roma Snowball-Presley and Tony Presley of Haskell, said they didn’t hear from police until more than two days after Joshua Harvey’s encounter with police on Aug. 24.
Following the news conference with family attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, the Presleys joined more than 20 people in a prayer vigil for Harvey near the Bartlett Square fountain at Fifth and Main streets.
Sept. 11, 2018: Family attorney says officers' actions appear to have violated policy
Damario Solomon-Simmons, who represents Harvey's family, says the department's policy appears to have been violated by the officers' actions.
The attorney said Harvey was tased at least six times and that that appeared to be excessive.
Tulsa police use-of-force guidelines state that officers “shall not simultaneously deploy (conducted electrical weapons) on one individual.”
Sept. 18, 2018: Police release use-of-force reports
An officer stated in his use-of-force report that a probe from another officer’s Taser did not appear to work properly, “so I immediately deployed my Taser and Joshua stiffened and fell forward on his arms and chest.”
The two officers, collectively, triggered their Tasers 25 times, delivering intermittent, short bursts of high-voltage electricity during about a three-minute period.
Once Harvey was in handcuffs, officers could see that a probe from one stun gun did not have a lead wire attached, according to the report.
An officer also stated in the report that he was “convinced that if the Taser had not been deployed, the incident would not have been resolved in the short time that it was resolved.”
Dec. 17, 2018: Autopsy report from Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office released
The likely cause of death for a man who died three days after being shocked multiple times with a Taser during a confrontation with police in downtown Tulsa was a cardiovascular condition exacerbated by drug use and exertion, according to an autopsy report.
A report released from the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office says his manner of death is unknown. Harvey’s probable cause of death is “cardiac arrest due to methamphetamine toxicity in the setting of physical exertion/restraint.”
The medical examiner noted that cardiovascular disease was a significant condition contributing to Harvey’s death. The report was a summary, absent a full toxicology report.
September 2019: Joshua Harvey's mother says finding closure is difficult one year later
Roma Snowball-Presley remains convinced that Harvey died as a result of excessive force used by officers who encountered him at the Arvest Bank at 502 S. Main St.
“I believe that it was homicide by officers due to excessive force,” she told the Tulsa World.
She said that the hurt only compounded with the realization that Joshua Harvey would have been celebrating his 26th birthday if he lived.
“I would say two days before the anniversary,” Snowball-Presley said last month in describing how she felt. “I was also trying to get myself prepared for his birthday coming up. It was kind of rough.”
June 26, 2020: Family sues city
“I’m not out for money or payment; I’m out for justice,” Harvey’s mother, Roma Snowball-Presley, said. “They’re going to have to pay for what they did to my child. First, they need to repent and ask God for forgiveness.”
Harvey’s family had sought only accountability and independent investigations, said Damario Solomon-Simmons, a lawyer representing Harvey’s family. However, after nearly two years, they filed the lawsuit, citing general silence from city officials and the Tulsa Police Department.
September 2018: Joshua Harvey Press Conference and Candle Vigil
The city of Tulsa has agreed to pay $175,000 to the estate of Joshua Harvey, 25, whom police were attempting to detain at a downtown bank in 2018.