UPDATE: Man shot by Harrisburg police had knife to mom's throat: district attorney

HARRISBURG -- In the absence of concrete details, Harrisburg residents are questioning why a young man was shot and killed by a Harrisburg police officer in uptown.

The fatal shooting happened around 9:05 p.m. Sunday on the 2300 block of Green Street after Harrisburg police responded to reports of a domestic incident in the area. The shooting victim is a young man, but no other details or witness accounts have been confirmed by officials.

Many neighbors declined to speak on the record with PennLive, but at least 100 people gathered to watch the scene -- most holding up cellphone cameras whenever there was police movement. Some of the bystanders talked about taking their concerns to city hall, while others wondered aloud why police are killing the people they are supposed to protect.

"That cop needs to be in handcuffs," one bystander said shortly after the body was taken away from the scene. "It's to the point we don't know if the cops are gonna keep us safe."

The still summer night air was, at times, filled angry shouts from family members asking why the young man was killed. A woman who identified herself as the mother of the man's child tried to cross police tape to get a glance of him, but she was ultimately turned away from the shooting scene to protect evidence.

The Dauphin County district attorney's office is investigating the shooting and will hold a news conference Monday morning, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Johnny Baer. He was at the scene for several hours speaking with witnesses and assuring neighbors of the fairness of the investigation.

Harrisburg police Chief Thomas Carter did not comment Sunday but was also at the shooting scene talking to community members and attempting to ease the tensions. Carter is known as a 'peacemaker' and has pushed for community policing to make Harrisburg a safer city.

Harrisburg Council President Wanda Williams asked residents to respect the district attorney's investigation, adding that the city council will follow the process and will hold officials accountable. She declined to comment further on the killing but said she plans to speak at the news conference Monday.

Kevin Dolphin and Lamont Jones, both of Breaking the Chainz, a youth, prison, and community outreach program, said they were on Green Street trying to gather information and to keep the community updated with what was happening. Dolphin and Jones both said they will continue to do their part to bridge relations with police and the community to prevent any situations that could harm either side.

"The young guy that got killed, that was my son," Dolphin said metaphorically, referring to his love of the city and care for its residents. "I didn't know him, but he's my son."

At one point after midnight, the low tones of chatter were interrupted by several gunshots.

Harrisburg activist Chris Siennick was one of the many people on scene gathering information and witness accounts after the killing. Siennick, like Jones and Dolphin, also received several accounts of what happened, but he said none of the witnesses he spoke to would go on the record and were fearful after the shooting.

Dolphin, Jones and Siennick were a part of a group that had gathered at Goodwin Memorial Baptist Church to talk about all of the issues surrounding police shootings, the Black Lives Matter movement, action plans and how to hold police accountable for the incident. The group was still strategizing well after 1:30 a.m. Monday morning.

Jones said he and other community members will do their part to make the city better. He added that he hopes the city can avoid a situation like in Ferguson, Missouri, where people didn't trust the police and civil unrest erupted two summers ago.

"They gotta tell the people something," Jones said, adding that he hopes what witnesses told him matches what will be described at the news conference Monday morning.