SHIELDS OF SHAME | INVESTIGATIVE CASE FILE
Roger Oliver Williams Jr.: Handcuffed Woman’s Repeated Head Injuries, Termination, POST Revocation and Federal Appeal
Athens–Clarke County, Georgia. A domestic-disturbance response on October 17, 2021 became a years-long examination of police force, supervision and accountability. Former officer Roger Oliver Williams Jr. was fired after an internal investigation; Georgia POST later revoked his certification. In September 2025, a federal appeals court rejected his employment-discrimination appeal.
At a glance: Incident: October 17, 2021 | Officer: Roger Oliver Williams Jr. | Civilian: Liana Beam | Termination: May 2022 | POST revocation: January 9, 2025 | Eleventh Circuit decision: September 2, 2025.
The encounter captured on body camera
Officers arrived at a residence after reports of a domestic dispute. Williams encountered Liana Beam at the doorway and decided to take her into custody. The encounter escalated as Beam resisted being moved. She was handcuffed behind her back when she struck her head against surfaces including the house and pavement. The federal district court described multiple impacts, including a fall Williams did not block. Beam became unresponsive, prompting an EMS response. Williams argued that he had guided her down and that her momentum contributed to the impacts; investigators reached different conclusions about portions of his force.
Read the detailed federal district court opinion ↗
What the supervisors and investigators found
The department’s review did not treat the entire episode as a single split-second choice. Supervisors examined the progression of force, warnings, opportunities to de-escalate, and the obligation to protect a restrained person’s head and body. Lieutenant Jody Thompson criticized the lack of de-escalation. Internal Affairs investigator Paul Davidson found two uses of force excessive and identified violations involving de-escalation and detainee care. The department concluded the Beam incident was not within policy.
The distinction matters: resistance does not automatically justify every later use of force. Officers must reassess what is necessary as circumstances change, especially when a person is already handcuffed and unable to break a fall.
The police chief’s independent review
Interim Chief Jerry Saulters reviewed the body-camera evidence repeatedly—approximately twenty times, according to the appellate record—consulted others, and met with Williams. When asked what he would do differently, Williams reportedly defended his actions. The chief decided termination was warranted. The federal courts later emphasized this independent review when rejecting Williams’s claim that a subordinate’s alleged racial bias tainted the decision.
POST certification and administrative consequences
Williams was terminated in May 2022. The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council subsequently pursued discipline concerning undue force. The SOS source records identify January 9, 2025 as the date of certification revocation. The POST process and Williams’s separate federal employment lawsuit are different proceedings, with different questions and legal standards.
He sued over his firing — and lost the federal appeal
Williams alleged race discrimination and argued that white officers were treated more favorably. The Eleventh Circuit, in case 24-13609, affirmed judgment for Athens–Clarke County on September 2, 2025. The court found insufficient evidence that the allegedly biased supervisor controlled the termination decision, and insufficient evidence of similarly situated comparators. This ruling concerns his employment-discrimination claim; it is not a jury verdict on Beam’s potential civil claims.
Read the September 2025 Eleventh Circuit opinion ↗
Other incidents involving Williams
2019 shooting of Salvador Salazar
Williams was also named in litigation over the 2019 shooting of Salvador Salazar. Athens–Clarke County approved a reported $250,000 settlement of that lawsuit. A settlement does not, by itself, establish personal liability or wrongdoing.
Read local reporting on the $250,000 settlement ↗
2019 fatal shooting of Thomas Swinford
Williams was among the officers named in litigation following the March 2019 fatal shooting of Thomas Swinford, who held what appeared to be a firearm; investigators identified it as a replica. The Eleventh Circuit affirmed qualified immunity for officers in that separate matter. This was not a misconduct finding against Williams.
GBI’s original shooting investigation announcement ↗
Primary-source document library
These records are hosted on the original Shields of Shame site. Every document opens in a separate tab. Records are provided for public examination; readers should distinguish allegations, internal findings, administrative outcomes and judicial rulings.
Video evidence and SOS reporting
Watch the original Shields of Shame video playlist ↗
Timeline
March 2019: Swinford shooting and separate shooting-related administrative records.
October 17, 2021: Beam arrest and repeated head impacts.
2021–2022: Departmental use-of-force and Internal Affairs review.
May 2022: Williams terminated.
January 9, 2025: POST revocation reported in SOS records.
September 2, 2025: Eleventh Circuit affirms dismissal of Williams’s discrimination claims.
The accountability question
The central issue is not whether officers may use force against resistance. It is whether they continue to use appropriate, proportionate tactics once someone is restrained, vulnerable and repeatedly striking their head. In this case, the department’s own supervisors, investigators and chief concluded that critical portions of the encounter violated policy. The employment decision survived federal appellate review.
Reporting note: This page distinguishes official findings from allegations and defenses. An appellate ruling in an employment case does not establish criminal guilt. Additional case documents or corrections may be submitted to Shields of Shame.