PHOENIX — Since three friends of a 19-year-old shot by police were charged with his murder, community activists and family members are calling for their release before a new court hearing on Tuesday.
ABC15 has covered the controversial police shooting from the beginning in January 2019. It started when SWAT officers were surveilling a group of teens suspected of a number of fast-food armed robberies. Police followed their car for eight miles with no lights or sirens. Ultimately, they used a grappler and deployed a flash bang, then shot Jacob Harris as he tried to run away.
“Jacob’s death should have never took place. Jacob’s death should have never happened," Jacob's father, Roland Harris, said. “They should have rendered first aid to Jacob and Phoenix PD never did that."
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has cleared officers of any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the three friends were charged for Harris’ death due to the state’s felony murder law, including Johnny Reed, who was 14 at the time.
“It’s been way too long that he’s been serving time for a crime that he did not commit," Reed's aunt Shawanna Chambersel said.
Chambersel said Reed will appear in court on Wednesday for a hearing to "determine taking his case to trial.”
As ABC15 has previously reported, all three took plea deals before new information about the investigation was revealed during an excessive force lawsuit filed by Jacob's dad.
Roland Harris' lawsuit and eventual appeal were dismissed in court.
Tuesday evening, members and activists gathered outside Phoenix City Hall, calling for their release and more interventions for teens.
“There needs to be youth programs. There needs to be youth counseling," Chambersel said. "There are so many other things that could have happened than him being incarcerated in a maximum prison facility with adults when he was just a child.”
