In the early morning hours of April 1, 2024, the community of Elizabethtown, New York, was disturbed by an act of violence that resulted in the death of 40-year-old William E. Ball of Port Henry. State Police responded to a report of a shooting on Lincoln Pond Road at approximately 5:31 a.m. Upon their arrival, they discovered Mr. Ball deceased inside his vehicle from a gunshot wound.
The investigation into the death of the male victim quickly determined that an altercation had preceded the shooting, after which the suspect was believed to have fled into the nearby woods. An autopsy later confirmed that William Ball's death was a homicide caused by a gunshot wound to his right shoulder. As law enforcement processed the scene and executed search warrants, they assured the public that the shooting did not appear to be a random act and that there was no ongoing threat to the community.
Later that same day, a significant development in the case occurred when the Essex County Sheriff's Department located a person of interest at a Stewart's Shop in Elizabethtown. The individual, identified as 28-year-old Qwavon M. Harris of Brooklyn, was taken into custody and subsequently arrested by the State Police. Harris was charged with second-degree murder and two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Following his arrest, Qwavon M. Harris was arraigned in the Town of Elizabethtown Court and remanded to the Essex County Jail without bail. In a later court proceeding, Harris pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter along with three counts of criminal possession of a weapon. He is currently awaiting sentencing for his role in the death of William Ball.
