Authorities charged a DeKalb County police officer after the officer's weapon discharged while arresting a 19-year-old, killing the young man during an evening encounter near Avondale Estates on July 7.
Officer faces criminal counts after fatal shooting
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified the man who died as Seth Jayden Eccles of Savannah. The agency said the shooting occurred the evening of Tuesday, July 7, and DeKalb County Police Department Officer Derrick Harris Jr., 37, has been charged in the case.
GBI announced Harris faces one count of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of reckless conduct in connection with Eccles' death. No officers were reported injured in the incident, the GBI said.
Context of the encounter
Investigators say law enforcement had been probing an armed robbery of a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier earlier that afternoon. Postal inspectors had spoken with a person of interest who was later identified as Eccles. Authorities permitted that person to leave but later discovered an active arrest warrant for him.
GBI said officers located Eccles the evening of July 7 after he ran and hid in a wooded area. About 7:45 p.m., Harris found Eccles in a backyard and gave commands at gunpoint. According to the GBI, Eccles complied, and while officers were taking him into custody, Harris discharged his firearm and Eccles was struck.
"Harris had an accidental discharge" resulting in the Eccles' death, the arrest warrant reads.
Eccles was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy to determine the official cause and manner of death, the GBI said.
- Victim: Seth Jayden Eccles, 19, of Savannah
- Officer charged: Derrick Harris Jr., 37, DeKalb County Police
- Charges: 1 count involuntary manslaughter; 2 counts reckless conduct
- Date of shooting: Evening of July 7, 2026
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Initial investigation | Armed robbery of USPS mail carrier, earlier July 7 |
| Time located | About 7:45 p.m., July 7 |
| Agency announcing charges | Georgia Bureau of Investigation |
The GBI is leading the criminal investigation; the development marks a step toward accountability and will likely be followed by departmental reviews. For residents in Avondale Estates and surrounding DeKalb County neighborhoods, the case raises renewed questions about officer training, use-of-force policies and how warrants and person-of-interest encounters are handled in the field.
Law enforcement agencies in the region typically release additional records — incident reports, body-worn camera footage and autopsy findings — as they become available. Those materials will be key to clarifying the sequence that led to the fatal discharge and whether departmental procedures were followed.
Community members seeking information can monitor public statements from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the DeKalb County Police Department. The medical examiner’s autopsy report, when completed, will provide further medical details and help determine next legal steps in the case.
This is an active investigation; authorities have not released additional details about the warrant that prompted the second encounter or whether any departmental administrative actions have been taken pending the outcome of the criminal probe.
News Block will continue to follow this story and report new information as it becomes public.
