TBI PROBES SAVANNAH MAN'S DEATH

Deceased allegedly stabbed his wife; police say he passed out during arrest

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into the death of a
Savannah man who died after police took him into custody Friday night at
his home. His family questions whether police used excessive force.

Savannah police were answering a domestic disturbance call at Gary "Brian"
Rich's home off Garey Drive when they found his wife, Amy, stabbed multiple
times, said John Mehr, TBI special agent in charge. They then saw Rich, 28,
still armed with knives, he said.

"He was subdued, and evidently during the apprehension he passed out," Mehr
said.

Rich and his wife were airlifted to The Regional Medical Center in Memphis.
Amy Rich, 26, was in satisfactory condition Tuesday at The Med. Brian Rich
died at 12:28 a.m. Monday. Mehr did not know if he ever regained consciousness.

Rich suffered brain damage, his father, Demus Rich, said Tuesday. He said
doctors also told him that his son tested positive for cocaine. While that
may have contributed to his son's actions, he did not deserve to die, Rich
said.

No charges have been filed against anyone or any agency. The Savannah
Police referred all questions to the TBI. Police and the district attorney
requested the TBI to investigate, Mehr said.

"I call the TBI in when anything is suspicious or questionable," District
Attorney Robert Radford said. "He was in police custody, and he died. You
always have to investigate those."

The TBI has received preliminary autopsy reports, but it is waiting for
more results, said Mehr, who would not release details of the preliminary
results. Among answers sought in the investigation is why Rich lost
consciousness.

Family members believe the death could have been prevented.

"There wasn't one place on his body that wasn't bruised," Demus Rich said.
"Touching him was like touching a table. He was just so hard. He was also
swollen."

"For stabbing his wife, he should've served his time or whatever the law
said," said Bonnie Godwin, Demus Rich's cousin. "But I feel like he was
killed. It was very tragic. The pain is almost unbearable."

Demus Rich said Brian and his wife did have problems, but they stayed
together. Brian Rich also got into trouble every now and again, he said.
"I'm not going to lie; he was a drug user," Demus Rich said. "This was not
the first time he was in trouble, but he was not violent."

Brian Rich's criminal record with the Hardin County Sheriff's Office
included leaving the scene of an accident, manufacturing and selling
cocaine, possessing marijuana and theft during the last three years.

But family members said they will remember him as gifted in woodwork and a
good father to his 8-year-old daughter.

"He always seemed to play and take time to spend with her," said Lisa Rich,
Brian's cousin. "I was shocked and upset when I heard about it. I was upset
when I found out that the little girl was going to have to grow up without
her father."

Funeral arrangements are incomplete.