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Georgia officer charged with involuntary manslaughter after accidentally discharging gun during arrest: Court filing

Derrick Harris Jr. is seen in a booking photo. (DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office)

(SAVANNAH, GA.) — A now-former Georgia police officer has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after he accidentally discharged his weapon during an arrest, fatally shooting a teenager he was attempting to handcuff, according to court filings.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) filed criminal charges against Derrick Harris Jr., 37, who was an officer with the DeKalb County Police Department, on Wednesday, a day after the deadly shooting.

The teen — 19-year-old Seth Jayden Eccles, of Savannah — was shot Tuesday evening in the backyard of a home in Avondale Estates, according to GBI.

U.S. Postal Inspection Service agents had questioned him earlier that afternoon regarding the armed robbery of a mail carrier, according to GBI. Law enforcement later learned he had an active arrest warrant and began searching for Eccles, who allegedly hid in nearby woods after being allowed to walk away following questioning, according to GBI.

After multiple 911 callers reported a suspicious person moving through the backyards of homes in Avondale Estates, Harris located Eccles in a backyard of a home, according to GBI.

Harris gave the teen verbal commands at gunpoint and Eccles complied, according to GBI. The teen was lying on his stomach as Harris attempted to take him into custody, with the officer holding a firearm in one hand at the teen’s back and handcuffs in the other, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.  

“During the process of attempting to handcuff Eccles, Harris accidentally fired his firearm,” the affidavit stated. “This accidental discharge resulted in the injury and death of Eccles.”

Eccles was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, GBI said.

Harris has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, a felony, and reckless conduct, a misdemeanor, according to court filings.

A second arrest warrant affidavit alleges that Harris was “consciously disregarding a substantial and unjustifiable risk” and that his actions “constituted a gross deviation from the standard of care which a reasonable person would exercise in the situation.”

The investigation remains ongoing. Once complete, the case will be presented to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution and review, GBI said.

Harris was booked into the DeKalb County Jail on Thursday. His bond was set at $10,000 and he has since bonded out, jail records show. Online court records do not list any attorney information for him. ABC News’ attempts to reach him over the phone were unsuccessful.

Following the charges on Wednesday, the DeKalb County Police Department said that Harris has been terminated due to “violations of laws.”

“This incident has had a profound impact on everyone involved. My thoughts and prayers remain with the family of Seth Jayden Eccles as they continue to grieve this tragic loss,” DeKalb County Police Chief Greg Padrick said in a statement. “This has also been a difficult time for the members of our department. The men and women of the DeKalb County Police Department remain committed to serving our community with professionalism, integrity, and compassion, and they will continue to serve the people of DeKalb County with honor, service, and partnership each and every day.”

DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson called Eccles’ death a “tragedy.”

“My heartfelt condolences are with his family and loved ones as they navigate an unimaginable loss,” she said in a statement on Wednesday. “Today’s criminal charges and the termination of our officer reflect our commitment to accountability. We understand no one is above the law and that accountability is essential to maintaining public trust.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Voters weigh a DeSantis successor and other key races to watch in Florida, Alaska and Wyoming

By CNN
(CNN) — Florida Republicans are set to choose their nominee in the race to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday in a contest that has in some ways turned into a bitter intra-party feud — even though there is little drama about its likely outcome.Naples-area Rep. Byron Donalds, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, is the favorite in the GOP gubernatorial primary. DeSantis has not endorsed him in the race and, CNN reported last month, shared his concerns about Donalds privately with Trump. But DeSantis also hasn’t backed any other candidate in a field that includes his lieutenant governor.It’s led to a vacuum that has left space for the emergence of James Fishback, a race-baiting 31-year-old who has called Donalds, who is Black, a “slave to his donors” and a “DEI Republican” who would “turn Florida into a Section 8 ghetto.”Tuesday’s contests also mark the first time voters will head to the polls under a new congressional map, designed by DeSantis to help Republicans net an additional four seats, that set off a scramble in down-ballot races.As Democrats settle a series of their own primaries in the redrawn districts, the races will also test whether democratic socialists can continue to make gains and where voters stand on issues related to Israel. Republican voters also have tough choices ahead of them, with several contentious House primaries featuring controversial candidates.Florida is the headliner on a day of primaries that also includes Alaska and Wyoming. Voters in California, meanwhile, will fill a House vacancy in a special election runoff.Here’s what to watch in Tuesday’s contests:How strong does Donalds look?Despite DeSantis’ apparent concerns with Donalds, Republicans have won every governor’s race in Florida in the last 30 years. Whoever wins on Tuesday — likely Donalds — will emerge Wednesday morning as the clear favorite to win in November.However, Democrats came close to winning the governor’s office in 2018 — the last time midterms were held with Trump in office. A relatively weak showing by Donalds on Tuesday could indicate Democrats could have an opening to make the governor’s race competitive.In addition to Fishback, other candidates in the GOP primary are Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, who has framed his campaign around a pledge to protect the DeSantis legacy even though the governor has not endorsed his own No. 2, and former state House Speaker Paul Renner.Democrats are expected to nominate party-switching former Rep. David Jolly in the race for governor. Jolly, a prominent critic of Trump, left the GOP in 2018 and last year officially became a Democrat.Slew of Florida GOP House primariesWhen Trump posted a list of Florida Republicans with his endorsement on social media earlier this month ahead of the primary, there was a notable omission: 7th District Rep. Cory Mills – whom the president endorsed in February. And when DeSantis was asked whether he supports Mills last week, the governor said no.The two-term congressman is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee for potential campaign finance violations, an accusation of a revenge porn threat and an assault allegation. Mills has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. He faces a primary challenge from former news anchor Ryan Elijah and two other candidates. Two other members of Florida’s House Republican delegation, Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos, endorsed Elijah.Mills is not the only Republican facing a challenge on Tuesday. 6th District Rep. Randy Fine, a strident supporter of Israel who has drawn criticism for his anti-Muslim rhetoric, faces social media personality Dan Bilzerian, who has called Fine a “fat disgusting Jew” and run an openly antisemitic campaign.Meanwhile, the 19th District race to replace Donalds is among the wildest Florida primaries, with two former members of Congress from other states — North Carolina’s Madison Cawthorn and New York’s Chris Collins — both in the running, as well as a former Illinois state senator, Jim Oberweis. Trump has endorsed Catalina Lauf, a 33-year-old former Commerce Department staffer, in the race.Florida Democrats look for signs of lifeThe governor’s race and a Senate contest this fall will give down-and-out Florida Democrats, who have watched their state’s former battleground status erode as it has shifted rapidly rightward over the last decade, a chance to show they can still compete in statewide races.The primary to take on Republican Sen. Ashley Moody pits retired Army Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, a key witness in Trump’s first impeachment inquiry, against state Rep. Angie Nixon, a democratic socialist who has called for the United States to end its military support for Israel.That nominee, as well as the winner of the gubernatorial primary, will attempt to reverse a rapid rightward shift in Florida. Among the factors contributing to that change: GOP gains with Hispanic voters, an influx of new conservative residents and a state Democratic Party that has been in disarray.Early this century, Florida was perhaps the nation’s most critical swing state — decisive in the 2000 presidential election and a battleground through 2016. But Trump won the state on his way to losing the election in 2020, and then he cruised to a 13-point win there in 2024. Likewise, DeSantis, who won the governor’s office by less than half a percentage point in 2018, demolished his Democratic foe in 2022, winning by nearly 20 points.Democrats are also settling intra-party squabbles in House primaries taking place in newly redrawn districts.Among those races is the 25th District on South Florida’s east coast, where democratic socialists are looking to pick off another Democratic incumbent in Rep. Jared Moskowitz, who is backed by pro-Israel and artificial intelligence forces. Their candidate is Oliver Larkin, a 34-year-old activist and union organizer.Another Democratic primary to watch comes in the 20th District, where longtime Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is taking on former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who resigned from her seat in April to prevent an Ethics Committee vote on whether she should be forced out of Congress. The panel previously found her guilty of a slew of ethics violations, including accusations that she stole millions in pandemic relief funds and used it to bolster her 2021 campaign. Cherfilus-McCormick also faces separate criminal charges and has pleaded not guilty.Wasserman Schultz, however, has faced allegations of carpetbagging in the primary, as she shifted over to run in the historically Black district, which has long had a Black representative in Congress, after her current seat was redrawn to be more Republican friendly.Will AIPAC get its way in California?California is holding its special election to replace former Rep. Eric Swalwell for the rest of this year on Tuesday, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has spent millions to try to steer voters away from state Sen. Aisha Wahab and toward its preferred candidate — Bay Area Rapid Transit Board President Melissa Hernandez.Wahab, an outspoken critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, earned nearly 43% of the votes in the June 16 special primary — well ahead of Hernandez, who finished second with nearly 17% support in the crowded race. Both candidates vying to represent the East Bay’s 14th District are Democrats.The candidates will also square off again in the fall as they vie for a full two-year term.Because of California’s mid-decade redistricting, the voters within the 14th District in November will be slightly different. The special election is taking place under the current district boundaries, while the new ones will be in effect for the general election.Two Dan Sullivans on the ballot in AlaskaDemocratic leadership believes former Rep. Mary Peltola can give her party a fighting chance at flipping the Alaska Senate seat held by Republican Dan Sullivan.But in the state’s unusual primary system — in which the top four finishers, regardless of party, advance to the general election — the bigger question might be whether another Dan Sullivan makes the cut.Republicans failed in their efforts to get a second Sullivan — a former teacher who shares the incumbent’s first and last name — booted from the ballot.The senator appears on ballots as Dan S. Sullivan and is listed as a registered Republican and the incumbent. The other Sullivan is identified as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., and he is not listed with a party affiliation, even though he filed to run as a Republican.It’s a quirk that isn’t expected to seriously threaten the incumbent, at least not in Tuesday’s primary, but could make a difference in a razor-tight general election if even a small number of voters are confused.Alaska voters are also selecting general election opponents to take on at-large Rep. Nick Begich III, as well as candidates to replace term-limited Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Both seats are expected to remain in Republican hands in November.Trump’s influence tested in WyomingThere’s little drama about which party will win in November in Wyoming, one of the nation’s most reliably Republican states.But the state is set to see a major political shakeup, with open seats for governor, Senate and House this fall.The primary to replace term-limited Gov. Mark Gordon will test Trump’s influence, as the candidate he endorsed — state Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder — takes on three other viable contenders: professional bull rider Curt Blake, state Sen. Eric Barlow and Brent Bien, a former Marine Corps colonel.Degenfelder, 37, is an advocate for charter schools and vouchers who has broadly backed Trump’s education policies, including downsizing the Department of Education.Sen. Cynthia Lummis is retiring, and Rep. Harriet Hageman, who won her seat by ousting former Rep. Liz Cheney in 2022, is backed by Trump and favored to emerge from a five-person field as the senator’s Republican heir apparent.Nine candidates are vying for the House seat Hageman is vacating, though the president has not waded into that contest.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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