In the late hours of a September night in Savannah, Georgia, the life of 17-year-old Terrell Antrez Harris was tragically cut short. On September 29, 2023, in the 100 block of Yamacraw Village, the young Black male was struck by at least one bullet. Rushed to Memorial Health University Medical Center, he was pronounced dead shortly after 3 a.m., leaving a community to grapple with the sudden loss of a teenager. An autopsy was scheduled to determine the full circumstances of his death, while his family prepared for the heart-wrenching task of laying him to rest. Funeral services were held in mid-October, with a viewing for friends and family to pay their final respects, followed by a funeral service and interment at Jackville Cemetery.
For a time, the investigation into Terrell Harris's death continued without any publicly announced suspects, leaving his family and the community awaiting answers. The case remained open as detectives pieced together the events of that fatal night. However, a significant development eventually emerged in the ongoing investigation. A 16-year-old named Laquan Dawson was identified as the primary suspect in the shooting.
The case against Dawson moved forward, and he was subsequently indicted by a grand jury on charges of malice and felony murder in connection with the death of Terrell Harris. At the time of the indictment, Dawson was located in Florida and awaited extradition back to Georgia to face the charges against him. It was also revealed that Dawson, who was reportedly 13 at the time of the killing, was being investigated as a suspect in another, older Savannah cold case, the murder of Desaray Gilliard. While he has not been charged in the Gilliard case, the accusation in Harris's death marked a pivotal moment in the search for justice for the slain teenager.
