Intruder slain at Arkansas home had been out on bond

TEXARKANA -- A 19-year-old man shot and killed earlier this month during a home invasion had been free on bond regarding a firearms charge in Bowie County, Texas, at the time of his death.

Shemar Davion Harris was fatally shot Nov. 2 by an 81-year-old man in Genoa who told investigators that being robbed six times in the past 10 months had prompted him to arm himself, according to earlier reports. Harris was facing a charge of theft of a firearm in Bowie County in connection with an Aug. 5 arrest at Academy Sports in Texarkana, Texas.

Academy Sports employees recognized off-duty police officer Alan Bailey, who was shopping in the store, and asked him for help with a man they suspected was stealing ammunition, according to a probable-cause affidavit used to create an account of what happened in that case. According to the affidavit, Bailey approached Harris and identified himself as a police officer.

Harris allegedly began pulling out store merchandise he had concealed in his clothing but started running when a store worker told Bailey there was more in the man's pockets. Bailey chased Harris into the parking lot, where a good Samaritan attempted to aid Bailey in catching Harris.

When Bailey caught up to Harris, he "struggled and reached for his pocket," leading others in the parking lot to warn the officer of the firearm. Bailey's hand was broken during the struggle to get Harris under control with the help of two onlookers.

"Just after I had placed him in cuffs, one of the citizens that assisted Officer Bailey handed me a small Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun that Officer Bailey observed being pulled from the suspect's pocket," states an affidavit prepared by Texarkana, Texas, officer Clint Akin. "The weapon had been cleared by the citizen, but he informed me that it had a loaded magazine with seven rounds in it and there was a round in the chamber."

The gun's serial number reflected that it had been reported stolen in Bowie County. Ammunition worth $82.96 was returned to Academy Sports.

Metro on 11/25/2017

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