Published: 4/15/2011 - Updated: 2 years ago

Pair charged in fatal shooting

Police arrest 1 suspect; 2nd still at large in alley slaying

BY TAYLOR DUNGJEN
BLADE STAFF WRITER

A suspect who was wanted on charges in the shooting death of Charles Harris, Jr., was arrested Friday morning on a bus, authorities said.

Kenneth Anderson, 29, of 917 Forest Ave. was arrested about 8:30 a.m. for aggravated murder. He was charged Thursday but had remained at large until Friday morning.

Thomas Johnson, 21, of 3265 Glenwood Ave. was charged with tampering with evidence and appeared for arraignment Friday morning in Toledo Municipal Court.

Robbery was the motive for the shooting, authorities said.

Mr. Harris, Jr., 71, died just after 7:30 p.m. Wednesday outside the garage where he stored his lawn-care equipment in the Scott Park neighborhood.

Mr. Harris' daughter, Karen Harris, said she had spoken to Mr. Johnson shortly after the killing and had no idea he was involved.

"I'm very excited because I thought … nothing would ever happen," she said of the charges.

She said police told her Thursday night that Mr. Johnson told them where they could find her father's stolen wallet and that he and Mr. Anderson had thrown the murder weapon "into the river."

On Ms. Harris' phone is a message from her father, one he left six years ago after her sister died of lung cancer.

"He said, 'Karen, my second daughter, your sister has gone to be with the king, your mother has gone to be with the king, but I'm here and we're going to be OK,' " Ms. Harris recalled.

Thursday afternoon, Ms. Harris -- part of the local band KGB and known to some as "Lady K" -- sat in a sister's living room, surrounded by people who knew her father, laughing and crying as she shared memories and questioned how, why, and who could have killed her "superstar."

Mr. Harris, 71, was shot twice in the head in an alley near Nebraska Avenue, said Dr. Diane Barnett, Lucas County deputy coroner.

Witnesses said they heard three shots.

His is the city's fourth homicide this year.

Mr. Harris was well-known and well-liked by many throughout Toledo, his family said. He owned his own lawn care business, Cash and Carry, and was known by many as "Chuck A Luck."

On Wednesday, Mr. Harris had a job cutting down a tree for a man near Jefferson Avenue and 17th Street, said his former wife, Yolanda Harris, 52.

He was out most of the day working with a friend who helped him. When he was finished, he drove by the apartment where she lives and called to her to look outside to see all of the branches in his truck.

"He always wanted me to be proud of him," she said, fighting back tears. "And I was proud of him."

Yolanda Harris told her former husband, whom she married in 2002 and divorced in 2006, that she would go with him to take his lawn equipment back to his garage, which she usually did.

He said no, he would be back soon.

Looking down from her balcony, she blew him a kiss.

"I'll be back," he said.

Mr. Harris went to a 6:30 p.m. meeting at Dare to Be Different, an organization for people who are recovering from addictions. Mr. Harris, who was sober for 22 years, was an advocate for people trying to recover.

He knew what it meant for his family when he became sober and wanted other people to have that too.

He founded several advocacy groups in the Toledo area and began an annual bus trip to Founder's Day in Akron for people in Alcoholics Anonymous.

Every day of the week he attended Alcoholics Anonymous for support and to show people that they could recover, Yolanda Harris said.

After the meeting he returned to his garage to drop off his lawn-care equipment -- he would unload the branches in the morning.

From there, it's unclear exactly what happened.

Karen Harris, 48, said witnesses saw her father swinging something just before the attack. He was probably trying to defend himself, she said. If someone wanted money, he would have helped them out, she said.

If they robbed him, they would have probably found a bunch of $2 bills and gold dollar coins, she said.

Ms. Harris got the call Wednesday night while she was at work -- the voice on the other end said, "Someone killed your daddy," she said. "[It's] just shock 'cause he got killed," Ms. Harris said. "I haven't been asleep yet ... I can't believe my daddy got killed."

She said her father made it to all of her big performances -- he would cry every time she sang "Midnight Train to Georgia."

"He is my superstar, he is my superstar, he is my superstar," Ms. Harris said, each repetition growing quieter. "My God. He's a lot of people's superstar."

Ms. Harris is the second of six children -- her sister, Kimberly Harris, died of lung cancer six years ago. She was 41.

The family has no idea who would want to hurt a man who did so much good for his family and the community.

"Even if you get caught, it won't bring my daddy back," she said.

In front of the white garage where Mr. Harris was killed is a small memorial -- a pink monkey with a note taped to its stomach that reads, "This is for you, Uncle Chuck," and a small praying angel.

"My dad got his wings," Ms. Harris said.

Contact Taylor Dungjen at: tdungjen@theblade.com or 419-724-6054.