Autumn Ernst stood in a small brownish room situated behind a sliding door at Grady Memorial Hospital, hoping to hold her firstborn son for the last time.
Harrison Olvey, 25, had been rushed to the hospital after being shot early Sunday in Buckhead, where he was working as a valet. But as he lay lifeless on his bed, all his mother could do was kiss his forehead, stroke his hair and tell him she loved him. An ongoing police investigation prevented her from wrapping Olvey in her arms.
“He just looked so peaceful, I just wanted him to wake up,” Ernst told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution while holding back tears Wednesday morning, three days after Olvey’s death. “I kept yelling at him to wake up, wake up.”
Olvey was working around 2 a.m. when he noticed a man breaking into the truck of someone he knew outside a LongHorn Steakhouse in the Uptown Atlanta development, previously known as Lindbergh City Center. The valet gig, which handled parking services for the nearby Tongue & Groove nightclub, was only temporary, his mother said. He had bigger dreams.
Credit: Autumn Ernst
Credit: Autumn Ernst
Ernst, 50, said her son went up to the stranger and was shot without warning after he asked the man what he was doing. Atlanta police confirmed Tuesday that arrest warrants were issued in the case. MARTA police have since taken over the investigation and declined to release the suspect’s name.
“(Investigators) have asked that I hold off on releasing information about the suspect’s identity to prevent from hindering their investigation,” a spokesperson for the agency said Wednesday.
It wasn’t a surprise to Ernst that her son was trying to do the right thing. She called him a hero who didn’t seek out violence.
“He didn’t charge the person. He didn’t go after them. He just simply asked them a question,” she said. “And they didn’t give him a chance.”
His job was dangerous at times, Ernst said, and sometimes took him into the path of drunk clubgoers who got into fights. He would tell her about arrests he saw, but the incidents never involved gunfire.
Sports bar chain Taco Mac closed its Lindbergh location in August 2021, citing safety challenges in the parking garage shared with the nightclub, other local restaurant closures and an uptick of crime in the Buckhead neighborhood at large. The location was “no longer safe for our team members,” the restaurant said in an email to customers at the time. On Tuesday, they declined to comment on the recent violence.
Since the summer of 2021, two aggravated assaults were reported at the nightclub and a vehicle break-in was reported at other businesses in the block, according to APD crime data. It also showed that four aggravated assaults, three motor vehicle thefts and a burglary occurred across the street at 635 Lindbergh Drive, home to a gas station, auto repair shop and car wash.
Dozens of other crimes, from simple assault to small thefts, were reported at the nightclub during that time.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Olvey was about to quit his job at the club, where he had worked for years to make extra cash while putting himself through Kennesaw State University. He graduated in December and was recently offered an opportunity with State Farm, his mother said.
Olvey grew up with his family in Suwanee, but at the time of his death he was living with his best friend Brendan at a West Paces Ferry apartment complex. He could often be found in the kitchen — anything to impress his girlfriend at dinnertime.
He was looking forward to a time of celebration this coming weekend at a friend’s wedding. Olvey would have stayed on the dance floor until the music started to slow, Ernst said, as he was quick to find a rhythm and often the last to leave.
“We had to cancel his tux rental, which was painful,” his mother said.
Credit: Autumn Ernst
Credit: Autumn Ernst
Countless friends and people he touched with kindness have reached out to his family. Former grade school teachers even called Ernst to tell her how special he was, a standout from hundreds of students they taught over the years.
“He meant everything to me. He was my sweet boy, my firstborn,” Ernst said. “He had so many friends and so many people that he just inspired. He was so positive all the time.”
Olvey was also a big brother and protector to his younger sister Addison, and they would talk every day.
“Harrison was the most amazing sibling and big brother anybody could ever ask for, he was my best friend,” Addison, 21, told the AJC. “My world is forever broken, just leaning on mom, family and friends to get through this time. I will miss him forever and I love him with all my heart.”
Credit: Autumn Ernst
Credit: Autumn Ernst
Their bond had grown even stronger after their father, Steve, died of heart failure last year.
While at the hospital, Ernst prayed to Steve, saying Olvey wasn’t ready to meet him yet. Soon after, she said a doctor came by with a chaplain who shook his head, confirming Ernst’s worst fear.
She is now looking for justice. She wants her son’s killer to be found.
“I hope he never sees the light of day again; that he is always in jail for the rest of his life and that he rots there. Forever,” she said. “He doesn’t deserve to live like a human being normal person. He didn’t (give) my son that right, so he definitely doesn’t get that right.”
Credit: Autumn Ernst
Credit: Autumn Ernst
A GoFundMe page created to help cover his Sept. 15 funeral/celebration of life and other expenses had raised more than $36,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.
“My beautiful son was just an amazing human being and I’m so lucky that I was able to be a mom to him. Even if it was only for 25 years,” Ernst said. “The hugs were lovely — always.”
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