Children Speak Out On Acquittal Of Man Who Shot Their Father

With any jury verdict, one side is happy and the other side is not.

That was the case when a jury recently found Yantis Young not guilty of murdering Steven Harris.

2/1/2017 Related Story: Osage County Man Acquitted Of Murder In 2014 Case

Young and his family celebrated, but the family of Steven Harris was devastated.

After we interviewed Yantis Young about how great it felt for him to be cleared in the shooting and released from jail, News On 6 heard from Steven Harris' family. They were disappointed in the verdict and wanted to give their side of the story.

Jordan and Araya Harris were teenagers when their father, Steven Harris, was shot and killed in a parking lot in 2014. 

They waited three years for the trial and they both attended and believed since their father wasn't armed, the man who shot him would be found guilty, but after Young testified, the jury believed it was a case of self-defense and voted not guilty.

"It was the biggest surprise in my life. I never in a million years thought they were going to say that," Jordan said. 

Araya agreed with her brother. 

"I did not think he was going to win, it blew my mind," she said. 

It bothered them how during the trial their father was portrayed as a gang banger. They admit he had troubles in his younger years but they said when he got out of prison, he turned his life around and focused on family and work.

"He was a 39-year-old man with a family, a house and responsibilities," Jordan said. 

Araya said he was loved. 

"His funeral was packed, people loved him," Araya said. 

They know the verdict is final and they must accept it, but they feel like they've lost their dad all over again.

"He wasn't just my dad, he was my best friend," Jordan said. 

Araya plans to change her major from teaching to law and hopes to one day be a prosecutor in hopes of one day getting other families justice.