In the spring of 2021, a life was cut tragically short in southwest Atlanta. Vernon E. Harper Jr., a 30-year-old man, was fatally shot on the evening of May 14th. The incident occurred inside a home in the 2100 block of Lang Street, where Harper was visiting a friend. The evening took a dark turn when an argument broke out, leading to a firearm being produced.
Harper sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Born in Evanston, Illinois, on April 8, 1991, Vernon Harper Jr. had relocated to Atlanta in 2016. In Atlanta, he pursued his passion for music, starting his own music label called Dred Gang Music. Described as a caring and self-motivated young man, he was a father to a son and a daughter. His family remembered his dedication to his children and his ambition to effect positive change in people's lives.
In the wake of the shooting, another woman inside the home was found with a gunshot wound to her leg and was transported to the hospital in stable condition. The investigation into the double shooting led Atlanta police to identify a suspect. On June 3, 2021, James McClendon, 45, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service and charged with felony murder in connection with Harper's death. McClendon was also charged with possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony and was booked into the Fulton County Jail. The argument that preceded the fatal shooting was the catalyst for the violent encounter.
