Clifford L. Hargis, a 63-year-old man from Henderson, Kentucky, passed away on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, after being shot the previous weekend. Born on January 2, 1961, in Henderson, he worked as a stonemason and carpenter. His life was cut short following a confrontation that occurred on Saturday, December 14.
On that Saturday night, at approximately 11:16 p.m., Henderson Police Department officers responded to a report of shots fired in the area of Mill and O'Byrne streets.
While they were en route, a second call came in from the 1220 block of Loeb Street, reporting that Hargis had sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Investigators later determined that Hargis had been shot in front of 609 Mill St. while confronting a group of individuals near his truck. Initially, after being transported to Deaconess Midtown Hospital in Evansville, Indiana, it was believed he would recover from his injuries. However, he succumbed to the single gunshot wound days later.
The investigation into the shooting was intensified by reports of more shots being fired in the nearby 1200 block of Cumnock Street shortly after the incident involving Hargis. Video footage obtained from the second location showed a suspect firing multiple rounds at a passing car, and at least one occupied home was struck by gunfire, though no other injuries were reported. Investigators believed the same group of individuals was involved in both incidents.
Following an investigation that included tips from the community, police identified a suspect. A juvenile was taken into custody in connection with Clifford Hargis's death. The suspect, 16-year-old Cameron Gilbert, was later indicted in March and is set to be tried as an adult. The charges against him include murder, first-degree wanton endangerment for firing into a home, possession of a handgun by a minor, and first-degree criminal mischief. Gilbert is being held at the McCracken Regional Juvenile Detention Center as the legal proceedings continue.
