Frank W. Whitlock V, 27, of Harrisburg, was killed in the early hours of July 16, 2016. He was found on the sidewalk in the 1200 block of Hunter Street bleeding from a gunshot wound after gunfire erupted around 3 a.m.; emergency personnel pronounced him dead at the scene. Bullet casings were recovered nearby and homes and vehicles in the area showed gunfire damage.

Investigators focused on two men, Vernon W. King Jr. and Kurt D. Tasker, and arrest warrants were issued for both. The men had ties to the Midtown Scholar Bookstore, which drew additional attention because the store was owned by the city’s mayor. Authorities said the murder weapon was not recovered.

Both suspects were arrested over the following years and tried together in Dauphin County in 2019. Tasker was acquitted of all charges; King was acquitted of homicide and conspiracy but convicted on firearms offenses and later sentenced for those counts. In the end, no one was convicted of murdering Whitlock. Anyone with information about what happened that night or who was involved is asked to come forward.