Overview
- The shooting happened in an Avondale Estates backyard when Officer Derrick Harris Jr. located 19-year-old Seth Jayden Eccles and took him into custody on Tuesday, July 7.
- Arrest affidavits say Eccles was lying face down with his hands behind his back as Harris tried to handcuff him and that Harris's gun accidentally discharged during that process.
- The GBI charged Harris with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct, DeKalb County terminated him, and he was booked and later released on bond.
- Investigators continue an independent probe, an autopsy by the DeKalb County Medical Examiner is pending, and officials have not released whether any body-worn or dash-camera footage exists.
- The encounter began during a same-day probe of an armed robbery of a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier and the case's next steps to watch are the medical examiner's findings and the district attorney's decision on prosecution.