Just before 2 a.m. on August 10, 2025, officers were called to the intersection of 12th Street and Blues Alley in Sacramento for a report of a person down in the roadway. They found 41-year-old Derek Von Harris suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Despite emergency aid, Derek Von Harris, a 41-year-old male, was pronounced dead at the scene. The killing marked another early-morning violence scene in the Alkali Flat area as detectives cordoned off the block, collected evidence, and
canvassed for surveillance video and witnesses while initial public updates noted no suspect information.
Within days, the Sacramento County Coroner's Office identified the victim as Derek Von Harris Jr., age 41, confirming the location and date of the shooting near 12th Street and Blues Alley. That public identification put a name and age to the case and narrowed the focus of the investigation around the alleyway and surrounding streets.
On August 27, 2025, Sacramento police announced an arrest in the case. Detectives took 47-year-old Edward Nelson of Sacramento into custody on homicide-related charges connected to the shooting that killed Derek Von Harris, age 41. Police said the arrest followed coordinated work by specialty units and investigators; jail records indicated Nelson was being held without bail and expected to be arraigned shortly thereafter. News accounts the same day reported the arrest and restated the timeline of the attack, from the 2 a.m. discovery to the on-scene death.
As of those announcements, the investigation into the motive and any further suspects remained with homicide detectives, who continued seeking tips from anyone near Blues Alley and 12th Street around the time Derek Von Harris, age 41, was shot. Memorial listings and gun-violence trackers subsequently recorded his death on August 10, 2025, in Sacramento, preserving his name and age among the year's losses.
