On a Sunday afternoon in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a simple act of kindness ended in a double tragedy. Shawn Maurice Hairston, a 35-year-old Black male, was a married father of five with a reputation for a kind heart. On March 13, 2022, he was delivering food to a friend's girlfriend, 42-year-old Ana Scott, who was recovering from injuries sustained in a major car accident the day before.
This errand of compassion would be his last.
Around 4:40 p.m., gunfire erupted inside the boarding house on South 16th Street where Scott resided. Neighbors reported hearing arguing in a hallway followed by the sound of gunshots. When police arrived, they discovered a grim scene on a staircase. Ana Scott was found deceased on a landing between the first and second floors, while Shawn Hairston was found behind her, suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a local hospital but ultimately succumbed to his injuries. Investigators quickly determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence but a targeted incident, though they believed Scott was not the intended victim.
For months, the case remained unsolved, leaving Hairston's grieving family, including his wife and five children, searching for answers. His mother, Jamie Hairston, lamented that his kind heart and willingness to help someone in need had led to his death. The investigation continued, and police identified a suspect with a history of violence.
In December 2023, the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force apprehended 34-year-old Kurt Tasker in a residence on Emerald Street in Harrisburg. Tasker was charged with two counts of criminal homicide for the deaths of Shawn Hairston and Ana Scott. Tasker was no stranger to law enforcement; he had been previously charged with a 2016 murder but was acquitted in 2019 after a trial. Following his arrest for the double homicide, he was incarcerated at the Dauphin County Prison.
