(Photo Courtesy of Merrimackvalley.org) 25-year-old Moses Harris disappeared after an altercation with Lowell police for domestic and vandalism charges that were called in by his girlfriend. A video was taken that showed Harris walking with police before they pulled out a stun gun. As they did, he walked off towards the freezing Concord River and was not seen since.
Cassandra Milnes
Connector Editor
On Dec. 19, 25-year-old Moses Harris disappeared after an altercation with Lowell police for domestic and vandalism charges that were called in by his girlfriend. A video was taken that showed Harris walking with police before they pulled out a stun gun. As they did, he walked off towards the freezing Concord River and was not seen since.
The Dec. 19 press release states that “Lowell Police continue to search for a male who fled police and entered the Concord River shortly after 2:30 a.m. On December 19th, approximately 2:31 a.m., a Lowell police officer located a male who was arrestable for charges stemming from an incident earlier in the morning. The victim of the incident had called, a short time earlier, to report that the male had returned.
“An extensive search was undertaken by members of the Lowell Police Department with assistance from the Lowell Fire Department and Massachusetts State Police however the male has not been located. The investigation is ongoing at this time,” the press release said.
On Dec. 23, a second statement was released. “The suspect … refused police commands and subsequently fled and entered the Concord River,” it said.
Superintendent Kelly Richardson added to the statement by saying, “This is not the desired outcome, regardless of the circumstances that led to police involvement with this individual. Life and safety are our primary concerns, and right now our main preoccupation is with finding this person.”
A third press release went out on Jan. 22, that described a motor vehicle found in the Merrimack River that fits the vehicle investigators were looking for in this case.
Moses Harris’ mother, Louise Harris, gave a statement about the lack of search-and-rescue crews. She said she is “looking for an answer … looking for divers to sweep the river, to dive in there and bring (her) baby out.”
Moses Hariss’ brother, Emmanuel Wahpo, also gave a statement. He said that he and his family “just want transparency as to why (Moses Harris) has not been found. If (the police) had true transparency, they would tell us all the details during that night, but they have not.”
The family is requesting a federal investigation to find Moses Harris, but it remains unclear if that will happen.
Associate Professor of Criminology Christopher Harris, no family connection to Moses Harris, spoke about the case and police use of force against minority suspects. In connection to the request for a federal investigation, he said, “It doesn’t strike me that any particular effort is lacking. … Could they do more? I do not know.”
Christopher Harris believes that Moses Harris is “probably deceased” based on the current weather and length of time he has been missing.
Sign the petition to help Moses Harris and his family receive justice: https://www.change.org/p/cnn-answers-and-granted-access-for-moses-harris?original_footer_petition_id=&grid_position=&pt=
