In the summer of 2015, a senseless act of violence cut short the life of 14-year-old Anthony 'Dae Dae' Harris in East Point, Georgia, a city on the outskirts of Atlanta. On the afternoon of Monday, July 20th, the young Black male was in the breezeway of the Lakeshire Village Apartments where he lived when a black Chrysler 300 entered the complex. Witnesses reported that three males inside the vehicle opened fire with assault-style rifles, striking Harris and two other teenagers.
While the other two victims, a 17-year-old male and a 23-year-old male, survived their injuries, Anthony Harris was fatally wounded.
From the outset of their investigation, East Point police did not believe Anthony was the intended target of the brazen daylight shooting. Instead, they suspected that one of the older individuals with him was the actual focus of the attack. His family and friends described Anthony as a good kid, and his mother expressed her profound grief, stating her belief that her son was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. The apathetic nature of the crime was further highlighted by the fact that the two surviving victims were uncooperative with the police investigation.
The black Chrysler 300 used in the shooting quickly became a central piece of the investigation. Authorities discovered that the vehicle had been carjacked in a violent incident in Clayton County just days before Anthony's death, during which the car's owner was shot. The car was later found abandoned and was linked to at least seven other violent crimes, including armed robberies and other shootings, across multiple counties in the metro Atlanta area. This connection painted a picture of a dangerous group of individuals engaged in a violent crime spree.
In the days following the shooting, East Point police announced that they had questioned 13 individuals in connection with the case. However, despite this initial flurry of activity and the clear evidence of a widespread criminal enterprise, there have been no publicly reported arrests or naming of suspects in the murder of Anthony 'Dae Dae' Harris. The case, like so many others involving gun violence, seemingly went cold, leaving a family to mourn and a community to wonder if justice for the innocent teenager would ever be served. The trail of violence left by the occupants of the black Chrysler 300 ultimately led to a dead end in the investigation into who was responsible for the death of a boy who was simply enjoying a summer afternoon.
