On December 19th, 2020, around 2:30 AM, the police were chasing a man, Moses Harris, who was wanted for domestic abuse and vandalism charges. The police said that Harris jumped into the Concord River to escape capture. You can see in nearby surveillance footage that he began to flee from police when officers pulled out a stun gun. Now, in late January, Harris’ family, along with many Lowell residents, have been holding peaceful protests in demand that the officers release body-cam footage as well as a detailed report of what exactly happened that night. The LPD has stated that they do not have body-cams and that they will not publicize domestic abuse cases. 

According to NBC Boston, “Authorities say they’ve searched for Harris for days, using boats, K9s, a helicopter and even thermal imagining equipment but they haven’t had any luck. Police said at the time of the incident that an extensive search was conducted by the Lowell Police Department with assistance from Lowell firefighters and Massachusetts State Police, but the search turned up empty.” However, the family has stated that all they want is for the police department to be transparent with them about everything that happened on the night of the chase and for federal authorities to take over the investigation. 

Weekly protests and public outcries have continued and are going to be continued until the situation changes. This is mainly due to many not believing that Harris would have dove into the water with the freezing temperatures, further endangering himself, but the police have stuck to this story over the past month. The LHS Review will continue to post updates on the situation both on our website and our Instagram page.

Photos from marches:

• HERE
• HERE