A juvenile has been arrested and charged with murder in connection to the shooting death of Clifford Hargis.
Henderson Police Department said that a hearing will be held to determine if the suspect will be charged as a juvenile or adult.
HPD Public Information Officer Jason Cullum said he was not aware of a date being set for the hearing. Cullum also said he wasn’t able to give the suspect’s age.
The suspect was also charged with first-degree wanton endangerment and possession of a handgun by a minor.
Local prosecutors say they are not able to discuss anything related to the case, pursuant to Kentucky Revised Statutes 610.340 which sets a strict confidentiality policy in juvenile cases.
The determination whether the suspect is tried as an adult is detailed in KRS 635.020, which sets forth the conditions that would require the suspect to be tried as an adult.
The suspect is being held in the McCracken Regional Juvenile Detention Center, which is where Henderson County juvenile offenders are sent.
Hargis was shot Saturday, Dec. 14, and taken to the hospital. Officials initially thought he would recover. But on Tuesday night, he was pronounced dead while at Deaconess Midtown in Evansville, according to his obituary.
Police said on the night Hargis was shot there were other instances of shots fired in the East End.
At 11:16 p.m., officers responded to a report of shots fired around Mill and O’Byrne, said a police release. While driving there, another call was placed from the 1220 block of Loeb in which it was reported that Hargis had suffered from a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Officers learned Hargis had been shot in front of 609 Mill St. while confronting a group of people near his truck, said the release.
As the investigation of the shooting of Hargis was beginning that night, more calls were made that more shots had been fired in the 1200 block of Cumnock Street, which is nearby, said the release.
Video was obtained of the second incident that led officers to believe it was the same individuals from the incident on Mill Street
In the video, a suspect fired multiple rounds at a passing car. After the shots were fired, the group continued through the area on foot.
At least one occupied home was struck by the gunfire, but there were no reported injuries. Video from the second scene was released to the public to help identify the individual who fired the gun and those who may have been present during the incidents.
During the investigation, tips from the community were shared with investigators.
Probable cause was presented to obtain an arrest warrant for the suspected shooter. The suspect was taken into custody and placed in a juvenile detention center.
Cullum didn’t say if other arrests in connection to the incidents can be expected, but did say that all investigations are ongoing.
