Family to hold memorial for victim of unsolved murder

TIFTON, Ga. — It has been five years since Jessie James “Bam” Harris II was shot and killed inside his home, and his family is holding a memorial on June 29 to remember him and call for justice.

Harris’ mother, Kim Espinoza, is organizing the memorial.

“We’re releasing some balloons and I’ve got a banner that I’m putting up,” she said. The banner says “Justice for Bam,” according to Espinoza.

“We’re still hoping for answers,” she said.

Harris was 22 when he was shot and killed inside his home, located in the 600 block of Timmons Drive in Tifton, on Aug. 18, 2014.

“Someone knocked on his door that night,” Espinoza said. “When he opened the door for them, they just plain out shot him. Right in the doorway.”

She also said that Harris’ son, who was four years old at the time, was in the house when the shooting happened.

“He was in bed,” she said. “There was a friend there in the back room at the time, and she ran in and got the baby and crawled under the bed. They just shot him and left.”

She said that while law enforcement initially had some ideas about what happened, there was never any concrete information about who shot him or why.

Espinoza said that Harris was someone who liked to make other people happy. He had served in the United States Army and was about to go back in.

“He was a really good kid,” she said.

The memorial will be held on Timmons Drive at 9 a.m. The house where Harris lived has since been torn down, but his family and friends will meet at the spot where it stood to remember him.

The case is still open. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Tifton Police Department at 229-391-3991 or 229-382-3132.

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