Laila Harris Bio – Laila Harris Wiki
Investigators made a plea for help finding the suspect who shot and killed 15-year-old Laila Harris outside a massive high school party on Citizens Parkway in Clayton County Saturday night.
AGE:
Laila Harris was 15 years old.
DETAIL OF INCIDENCE:
Laila Harris was shot to death outside a party at an event hall in Clayton County, Ga., on Saturday night.
Local police said the Morrow, Ga., event drew hundreds of local teens from different high schools, and many of these students were spotted fleeing when police arrived at the chaotic scene on Dec. 3. Morrow is about 15 miles from downtown Atlanta. It is unclear who threw the party.
Police believe the shooting occurred after the assailant was kicked out of the event. The unknown suspect then returned with a friend before opening fire into the building around 11 p.m., said Julia Isaac, a community liaison with the Clayton County Police, at a Monday press conference.
Laila Harris was killed in the crossfire as she tried to run from the gunfire, and was found dead outside the facility’s entrance, Isaac said. There were no other injuries reported, and the suspect remains unidentified.
“We’re asking for anyone to come forward that has any information in reference to this shooting,” Isaac said at a Monday press conference. “We need your assistance to find justice for Laila Harris.”
Investigators are pursuing all leads and actively searching for any surveillance video of the incident or the location.
Kailyn Crawford, a cousin of Harris, told 11Alive she’s upset about her family’s senseless loss, saying, “Laila had her whole life ahead of her and that was taken from her due to a senseless act of gun violence. We would just like to spread awareness in regards to gun violence and how it is affecting and taking the lives of the youth in our communities.”
“She was tragically killed while attending a birthday party, just doing what any fifteen-year-old likes to do, trying to have fun,” a relative writes in an online fundraiser seeking donations for Harris’ funeral.
Anyone with information about the shooting or the suspect is urged to contact the Clayton County police immediately at 770-477-3747.
“Someone at the party should know who [the shooter] is,” Isaac said. “If anyone has any information, please come forward.”