In the pre-dawn hours of a summer Saturday, the sounds of a party at a home on Cedar Grove Road in Soperton, Georgia, were shattered by the blast of gunfire. On that morning of June 19, 2021, Harvey Glen Harris, a 31-year-old African American man from the neighboring community of Wrightsville, was fatally wounded. Another individual, Cameron Harden, then 24, of Soperton, was also struck by the gunfire but ultimately survived his injuries.
Responding to a report of shots fired at approximately 2:00 a.m., deputies from the Treutlen County Sheriff's Office arrived to find a large crowd of people fleeing the scene of the gathering. Amidst the chaos, they located Harvey Glen Harris, who was unresponsive. Emergency medical personnel rushed him to a hospital in adjacent Laurens County, but his life could not be saved.
In the wake of the deadly shooting, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was requested to lead the homicide inquiry, working in conjunction with the local sheriff's office. Despite their continued efforts, the investigation into the death of Harvey Glen Harris has yet to yield any arrests. Authorities have not publicly named any suspects in the case, and it remains an active and open investigation. Law enforcement officials have urged anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward to assist in bringing resolution to the case.
The violent death of Harvey Glen Harris reverberated through the close-knit communities of middle Georgia. The lingering tensions and fears in the months following the incident were palpable, leading to the cancellation of a local high school football game in September 2021 between rivals Treutlen County and Johnson County due to threats of violence. For the family of Harvey Glen Harris, including his mother, Vickie Arline, the pain of their loss is compounded by the absence of justice, as they continue to await answers in the unsolved murder of their loved one.
