On Christmas Day in 2021, the festivities were marred by a grim discovery in Kansas City, Missouri. Officers were dispatched around 11:45 a.m. to the 4900 block of Raytown Road following reports of gunfire. Upon arrival, they located an abandoned vehicle positioned off the roadway on the south side. Inside the car, they found the lifeless body of a 38-year-old male, identified as Clifford Harris.
He had sustained fatal gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, turning a holiday celebration into a homicide investigation.
For nearly three years, the case remained open as investigators worked to piece together the events that led to Harris's death. The initial inquiry revealed that the shots had likely been fired from inside the vehicle where the victim was found, suggesting the assailant had been in close proximity. The investigation eventually pointed authorities toward a specific individual believed to have been present in the car during the shooting.
In November 2024, significant legal developments emerged when prosecutors formally charged 25-year-old Duron T. Carter Jr. in connection with the murder. Carter, a resident of Kansas City, faced allegations of first-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of armed criminal action. Following the filing of these charges, Carter was incarcerated in Jackson County with no bond set, awaiting court proceedings to answer for the events that unfolded that Christmas morning.
