Members of the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office and family of Seitu Harris, 33, -- who was killed in a double shooting that happened in North Philadelphia in April of 2023 -- spent time on Tuesday morning remembering a man who had a powerful singing voice, in discussing the conviction of one of the gunmen charged in his slaying.
In a meeting held Tuesday, officials discussed the Monday, April 24, 2024, shooting that led to Harris' death. And, Assistant District Attorney Teresa Benavides-Sexton, of the office's Homicide and Non-Fatal Shootings Unit, detailed how law enforcement officials built a case against the men charged in the killing.
Benavides-Sexton said that 21-year-old Daniel Gonzalez has been convicted for his role in Harris' slaying.
Another man implicated in this shooting, Deonte Davis -- who was 25-years-old at the time of the shooting -- is on the run and, Benavides-Sexton said, he is still being sought by police.
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According to Benavides-Sexton, the shooting happened, near the intersection of Watts Street and Girard Avenue when an unprovoked Davis exchanged words with Harris, who was "not bothering anyone" before the altercation.
After some words were exchanged, she said, Harris entered a nearby store and on his way back outside, he produced a handgun and tried to shoot Harris in the head -- but Harris swatted the gun away.
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Shortly after that, Benavides-Sexton said, Gonzalez produced a weapon as well and they both fire a total of eight times at Harris, striking him in the head and stomach, killing him.
A 20-year-old bystander was also struck by gunfire in his neck, but Benavides-Sexton said, that man survived.
An investigation, she said, uncovered online videos and photos that Davis and Gonzalez had posted of themselves wearing the same clothing that they wore at the time of this shooting.
That online information, she said, helped police officials crack this case.
"Sometimes individuals can actually give themselves away," Benavides-Sexton
In remembering Harris, officials played a video of him singing before his older sister, Patricia, took some time to remember her brother.
"He was just a human person and somebody took his life because of their own anger," his sister said. "My brother was a good person."
She remembered Harris as a man who wanted to own a funeral home and regularly sang at church and at funerals for members of the community. She said he was enthusiastic about singing and taught his children to sing as well as play the piano.
"At first, it was annoying but then it became special because my kids learned something I wasn't able to teach them," she said. "But, their uncle was able to teach them."
Gonzalez is scheduled for sentencing in November, Benavides-Sexton said. Officials are still seeking Davis for his suspected role in this killing.
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