Do you know who killed 18 year old Eric Harper in 1995? Eric Harper was an 18-year-old Black man living in Gainesville, Florida, when his life was ended by a single gunshot just three days before Christmas in 1995.
The fatal encounter occurred in the pre-dawn hours of Friday, December 22. Around 1:00 a.m., people near the 1100 block of NW 5th Avenue heard a conversation taking place outside. The talking was suddenly punctuated by a voice shouting, “hey man,” which was immediately followed by the sound of one gunshot.
In the silence that followed the shot, witnesses heard Eric’s own voice call out in anguish and disbelief. “Oh my God, I’ve been shot, I’m gonna die,” he said. These were his last known words, overheard by those nearby who were alerted by the disturbance.
While no one reported seeing the person who fired the weapon, the moments after the shooting provided a crucial but limited clue.
A witness who heard the “pop” of the gun saw a black Ford Escort speeding away from the scene. Police were unable to develop any suspects from this information, and no arrests were ever made.
For decades, the murder of Eric Harper has remained unsolved. His case is now classified as a cold case homicide by the Gainesville Police Department. The investigation officially remains open, but with no new leads, the identity of the person who killed the young man and the reason for the attack are still unknown. 
