Jamiere D. Harris Sr., a 21-year-old Black man, was fatally shot shortly after midnight on January 17, 2017, during a confrontation near the intersection of Seventh and Market Streets in Wilmington, Delaware. Although Harris had connections to Wilmington, state prosecutors later described him as being from Newark. Authorities determined that the encounter began as an argument over money connected to a drug debt.
According to the Delaware Department of Justice, Harris approached Antonio Russell and threatened him over the debt before the dispute escalated into gunfire. Russell shot Harris during the confrontation, ending the young father's life on the city street.
The investigation ultimately resulted in Russell being prosecuted for the killing. In August 2018, he pleaded guilty in Delaware Superior Court to manslaughter, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a person prohibited. Russell was legally barred from possessing a gun because he was on juvenile probation for a 2016 drug-dealing adjudication when he shot Harris. The guilty pleas eliminated the need for a trial and formally established Russell's responsibility for the fatal shooting.
A Superior Court judge sentenced Russell to 15 years in prison, followed by six months of either home confinement or work release and an additional 18 months of probation. Harris left behind a young son, his parents, his companion, and other relatives. His viewing and celebration of life were held at Ezion Fair Baptist Church in Wilmington on January 23, 2017, followed by burial at Silverbrook Cemetery. The violence later became part of an additional tragedy when prosecutors said Harris's brother, Elgin Wilson, retaliated against Russell's family by murdering Russell's mother, Shirley Coleman, in 2018.
