SerpApi.Org
A deadly shooting broke out outside an apartment in Frogtown on July 18, with about 20 gunshots fired. Officers rushed to the scene near Edmund Avenue and Kent Street, where they found a victim receiving CPR. The man, Da’Voncea L. Griffo, was later pronounced dead in an ambulance.
Meanwhile, the suspect, identified through surveillance footage as Christopher Germaine Burke-Harris, arrived at Regions hospital and claimed he was one of the victims. He said he had been shot on the leg and denied involvement. Police later charged him with second-degree murder.
Shooting Suspect Has Previous Conviction For Murder
A background check revealed that Burke-Harris had previously been convicted of murder. He had been released from a Minnesota prison earlier the same day after serving nearly 14 years for a 2010 second-degree murder.
Burke-Harris carried out the shooting exactly two years to the day of his prison release. According to reports, he was celebrating the anniversary of his release from prison before reportedly changing his clothes and opening fire on a group of people.
Suspect Denies Shooting As Surveillance Footage Contradicts Statement
According to Burke-Harris, he only heard gunfire and did not see the shooter. He claimed a bullet graze grazed his thigh, causing him to fall. The 37-year-old further alleged that he has changed his ways and means of livelihood since his jail release. He said he had not been involved in violence or gun games in the past 14 years.
However, surveillance footage contradicted his account. Video showed a man matching Burke-Harris’ description wearing a red hat and white shirt before changing into a cream-colored sweatshirt. He was then seen returning to the apartment entrance, pulling out a gun and firing multiple shots at Griffo.
Investigators recovered 26 spent shell casings from the scene, linked to three different firearms.
Victim’s Family Identifies Suspect As Shooter
Witnesses also identified Burke-Harris as the shooter. Griffo’s stepmother said family members at the scene recognized him.
Yet another woman who was a part of the crowd also identified the 37-year-old as the shooter. She said she was celebrating someone else’s birthday at the spot when she saw the suspect wearing a dirty-green hoodie and walking up to the entrance of the building. She then allegedly heard someone say, “Not here. Not here, bro.”
The woman further narrated that she was alarmed to see that man pull out a black gun from his pocket. She heard a total of four shots being fired before one eventually struck her on the leg. On July 20, Burke-Harris was finally charged with second-degree intentional murder.
