James Laquan Harper, a 39-year-old African American man, died on October 26, 2021, in Dallas, Texas. The Dallas County Medical Examiner listed the cause of death as homicide, recording multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, abdomen, and elbow.

Officers responded to an anonymous 911 call about an armed kidnapping on July 24, 2012, and encountered Harper and others at a residence. A foot chase and a physical struggle followed; Officer Brian Rowden shot Harper three times. Officers said Harper was reaching for a gun, but Harper was unarmed and no drugs or alcohol were found in his system.

The shooting prompted protests and demands for indictment and prosecution from community members and groups including the New Black Panther Party. A grand jury declined to indict Rowden, and a federal civil jury later found him not liable in a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by Harper’s mother. The incident remains disputed in the community, with accusations that the investigation was mishandled.

Did anyone in the Dixon Circle neighborhood witness what happened that night or have additional information to share?