A 26-year-old Georgia mother who was charged with felony murder after dropping her 3-month-old baby may face further charges, a local district attorney has said. Since the tragic incident, a friend of the mother has spoken out, saying the mother “should be free.”
Karen Lashun Harrison was involved in a fight with another woman on July 19 at a parking lot outside a cosmetics store in Moultrie when she dropped her baby on the pavement. The baby later died.
WALB reported that Harrison was later charged with felony murder, first- and second-degree cruelty to children, simple battery, and affray: using or threatening unlawful violence.
The altercation was captured on surveillance video.
In the video, Harrison was holding her baby when another woman hit Harrison in the head with a bag.
Harrison then hit back at the woman but dropped her child onto the ground in the process. The two continued fighting as witnesses rushed in to pick up the baby from the pavement.
ABC-affiliate WTXL reported that Harrison took the baby to the hospital the next day, July 20, and told medical staff that the baby had fallen at home.
She later told police that her baby sustained a head injury after having fallen from the arms of a family friend—26-year-old Carneata Clark. Clark, who is Harrison’s sister-in-law, provided police with a similar statement.
But police later found the surveillance video of Harrison dropping her baby.
WTXL shared the footage of the incident in a broadcast.
Warning: The footage may be disturbing to viewers
Harrison has been denied bond following her multiple charges.
Clark was charged with providing a false statement and obstruction. She got out of jail after posting $5,000 bond.
After leaving jail, she spoke out and told WALB that people “don’t even know the whole story.”
“Karen should be free,” Clark told WALB on July 23.
“People on the outside looking in, they don’t even know the whole story, you feel me. I feel like, free Karen, all the way,” Clark added.
“She’s gotta grieve … If y’all know Karen, she takes care of her kids, y’all know how she feel about her kids, y’all know what she’ll do for her kids, y’all know that she is not no bad person.”
Faced with the loss of both her baby nephew and now her sister-in-law, Clark told WALB, through tears, “She strong though, she real strong. Karen real strong.”
The other woman in the fight has not yet been identified nor charged.
District Attorney Brad Shealy told the news outlet that more charges may come for Harrison.
“No charges at this time, doesn’t mean some couldn’t come out in the future, based upon the evidence,” Shealy said.
Shealy added that the reason for the felony murder charge for Harrison was because evidence suggested the baby died due to medical attention not being sought, WALB reported.
The infant’s body is to undergo an autopsy. The investigation continues.