In the late summer of 1948, a life of promise was tragically cut short in Alexandria, Virginia. Robert Benjamin Harris, a 22-year-old White male, had only been with the Alexandria Police Department for nineteen days. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force who served during World War II, he was embarking on a new chapter of public service. On the night of September 11, 1948, Private Harris was conducting a routine check at the intersection of North Washington Street and Montgomery Street. It was there that he encountered a burglar attempting to break into the back of a restaurant.
During the interruption of the crime, the suspect fired upon Private Harris. The young officer was gravely wounded and rushed to Alexandria Hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries. His sudden and violent death sent ripples of grief through the community and his young family, leaving behind a wife and an infant son. The Alexandria Police Department mourned the loss of a brave officer who had demonstrated immense dedication in his short time on the force.
The investigation into the murder of Private Harris continued for a year before a significant break in the case occurred. A man in Richmond was overheard confessing to the killing. This individual was subsequently indicted for Harris's murder. However, his path to trial for this crime was delayed as he first faced imprisonment for another murder he had committed elsewhere in Virginia.
Decades would pass before the suspect was finally brought to trial for the death of Private Robert Harris. In a turn of events that would deny closure to the Harris family, the suspect's confession was ruled inadmissible by the court more than twenty years after the crime. As a result, the charges against him for the murder of the young Alexandria police officer were dismissed. No one was ever convicted for the killing of Robert Benjamin Harris, and the case remains a somber chapter in the history of Alexandria's law enforcement.
