Orlando man found guilty of murder for 2019 shooting death of his grandfather

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County jury has convicted an Orlando man of second-degree murder for the 2019 shooting death of his own grandfather, a Vietnam war veteran and known local boxing trainer.

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The investigation started just before 7 a.m. on February 22, 2019 when Orange County deputies responded to a 911 call from a home on Fountain View Blvd.

The caller, now 37-year-old Lucien Harris, claimed a gun went off while he was in a struggle with his grandfather, before ending the call.

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Deputies arrived at the scene to find Lucien’s grandfather, 74-year-old Lucius Harris, dead in one of the bedrooms, covered in blood.

Video surveillance from a home across the street showed Lucien Harris riding away from the scene on a bike just after the 911 call was made.

According to an initial incident report, family members began to arrive at the home, saying Lucien had called them and said he shot his grandfather.

Relatives noted Lucien Harris had a violent history and was prone to attacking family members. They also said he was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia, but refused to take medication.

Family members told deputies that before the murder, they had tried to convince Lucius to remove Lucien from the home, but the grandfather refused, saying he’d worry about his grandson too much.

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Investigators later found Lucien Harris in Mount Dora.

The Lake County deputies who found Harris reported seeing him drop a silver-colored object believed to be the murder weapon into a body of water.

Jury selection for Harris’ trial began last Monday, more than five years after the murder.

For his defense, Harris claimed his grandfather had just been choking him before he shot, and appeared to be reaching into his own pocket for a gun

However, investigators noted there was no sign of a struggle in the home, no injuries to Lucien that would indicate a struggle had occurred, and that Harris had taken the only gun involved in the incident from the scene.

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Harris also unsuccessfully tried to represent himself in a Stand Your Ground hearing before the trial.

After five days of testimony, an Orange County jury found Harris guilty of second-degree murder with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and tampering with physical evidence.

Harris is scheduled to be sentenced on April 12. He faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison for the murder conviction alone.

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