Greensboro family walks for clues in 2019 unsolved homicide

Near Friendly Center, Jaylin Harris’ family returned to the streets with a purpose that went beyond remembrance: they wanted fresh eyes on a homicide that has remained unsolved since 2019. Family members, Greensboro police and community supporters walked together in June as part of Gun Violence Awareness Month efforts, carrying Harris’ name back into public view and hoping someone would finally step forward.

Harris was 18 when he was shot and killed on Aug. 30, 2019. Crime Stoppers records say Greensboro officers responded to 2611 Fairway Drive around 6:45 a.m. that morning on a report of a man down and found Harris dead from a fatal gunshot wound. The killing took place in the same general area where the walk was held, giving the event a direct connection to the block where investigators first began piecing together what happened.

The case remains active, and police say unsolved homicides are never closed. Officials say some cold cases are solved only when one person comes forward with a crucial piece of information, a reminder that old files can still move if a witness, neighbor or former acquaintance decides to talk. A newly assigned detective has reviewed the Harris case file with fresh eyes, and Greensboro police say the department still has a large record of interviews and logged evidence.

For Harris’ family, the walk was also a way to keep asking the questions that still define their lives. They said they wonder what Harris would be doing now, what kind of adult he would have become and what future he was denied. That grief has become part of the city’s public safety conversation, as residents were asked not only to remember a young man lost to gun violence but also to help investigators close a case that still carries unanswered questions about who pulled the trigger and why.

The wider picture is stark. Federal Bureau of Investigation clearance data show that 61.4% of murder offenses were cleared nationally in 2019, while research summarizing FBI data says about 40% of homicides from 1990 to 2019 remained unsolved. In Greensboro, police and family members are betting that visibility still matters. Anyone with information can call Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000, and tips may be made anonymously.