Eric Joseph Whitaker, 51, was killed on January 15, 2022, at the intersection of Saint Roch Avenue and Benefit Street in New Orleans. Detectives immediately worked to reconstruct the events at that corner and issued public appeals as they tried to map the last movements of everyone connected to the scene.

On January 19, 2022, the New Orleans Police Department asked the public to help identify and locate three people — two women and one man — described as persons of interest to be questioned, stressing none were then wanted on criminal charges. As the investigation progressed, police named another person of interest, and on February 2, 2022, identified Tiara Harris as someone detectives wanted to interview while still saying she was not wanted on charges. That same day authorities announced an arrest warrant for Samuel Duke Harris, identifying him as the perpetrator and charging him with one count of second-degree murder in connection with the January 15 homicide.

Samuel Duke Harris was arrested without incident on February 15, 2022, by NOPD’s Violent Offender Warrant Squad and booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center; police said the identification of him as the perpetrator came through the homicide unit’s investigation. Does anyone who was in the Saint Roch and Benefit Street area on January 15 have information that could help fill gaps in the timeline?