Mederrick Okeith Harper, a 43-year-old African American male, was found shot and bleeding in the street on July 9, 2020, in the 4200 block of Avenue Q in Lubbock, Texas. A motorist traveling northbound observed Harper lying in the southbound lanes and performed a U-turn to return to the scene. The motorist was informed by a bystander that at least three gunshots had been heard. Several individuals attempted life-saving measures on Harper before the arrival of Lubbock Fire Rescue and EMS.
Harper was taken to University Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
The police report indicated that Harper had a gunshot wound on his left hip area, which was actively bleeding. EMS and Lubbock Fire placed a tourniquet around Harper's left leg before transporting him to the hospital. Harper's death was ruled a homicide, and the Lubbock Police Department offered a Crime Line reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person or persons responsible for his murder.
In connection with Harper's death, 26-year-old Anthony Brad Resendez was identified as a suspect. Surveillance video from a nearby motel showed Harper in a brief scuffle with Resendez in the parking lot. As Harper ran away, Resendez aimed a firearm at him and fired multiple times. Harper continued to run but collapsed about 80-100 yards away in a lane of Avenue Q. Resendez then entered the front passenger side of a blue Chevrolet pickup truck, which exited the parking lot heading eastbound.
On July 13, investigators spoke to the driver of the truck, who claimed he did not know Resendez was armed and had driven him to the motel to buy marijuana. The driver witnessed the scuffle between Harper and Resendez and saw Harper run away as Resendez began shooting at him. Resendez returned to the truck and instructed the driver to leave. Resendez was later arrested in Levelland, Texas, after a pursuit with local units. He was taken into custody without further incident and booked into the Hockley County Jail on multiple charges, including murder, aggravated assault, evading arrest, and narcotics charges. His bond on the murder charge was set at $300,000.
Prior to his death, Harper had been publicly identified as a person of interest in a deadly assault case involving Samuel Flores, who was found bleeding in the 800 block of Avenue Q and later died from his injuries. However, Harper was not charged with a crime in the Flores case. The investigation into Harper's murder remains ongoing, and the Lubbock Police Department continues to seek information from the public to solve the case.
