Eighteen-year-old Gavin Gregory McLain was shot and killed on the evening of January 2, 2021, in the parking lot of the Eastbrook Apartments in Harlan, Kentucky. A resident of Eastbrook, Gavin enjoyed basketball and football and spent time with his five-month-old daughter, Korbyn. During a physical altercation that drew several people, 53-year-old Irvin Harris arrived and later returned armed with a 9mm pistol. Harris fired one shot that struck Gavin in the back of the neck. Gavin was taken to Harlan ARH Hospital, where the Harlan County Coroner pronounced him dead.

Harris was arrested and charged with murder; the case centered on his assertion that he had gone to protect his daughter and that he had mistaken Gavin for another person involved in the fight. The killing left the Eastbrook community grieving over a young father’s life ended in a moment of violence. Does anyone have information about that night or memories of Gavin that could help shed light on what happened?