A Huntsville, Alabama, grand jury has indicted Vincent Harmon on a manslaughter charge for the April 18, 2021 shooting death of 20-year-old Seth Bishop Anderson. Anderson was the son of Huntsville mass murderer, Amy Bishop.
The shooting occurred while a group of friends sat in a vehicle together. Police initially charged Harmon with reckless murder which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The grand jury reduced the charge against him to manslaughter. It is alleged that Harmon handled a gun in a careless manner and it discharged, killing Anderson.
Harmon has applied for status as a youthful offender based on his age at the time of the incident. He was 18 on the night of the shooting. Madison County Judge Donna Pate has set a date of October 13 to review the request. If granted, the court will seal the records in the case and the teen cannot be sentenced to more than three years of incarceration. If tried as an adult, Harmon will face up to 20 years in prison.
Jon Blackwell, Harmon’s attorney, has said that his client was “in disbelief” and “destroyed” over the events of that night. He says his client’s actions were “unintentional.”
The case will be prosecuted by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office after Madison County District Attorney Rob Broussard’s office recused itself. The Chief Deputy District Attorney for Madison County, Tim Gann, said the decision to recuse was made because they would have been in a position of working closely with the Bishop family. Considering their previous prosecution of the victim’s mother, they felt the family would be uncomfortable with such contact.
For those unfamiliar with the Amy Bishop case, she shot six of her colleagues during a University of Alabama in Huntsville meeting in 2010. Three of her victims died. Bishop subsequently pled guilty to avoid the death penalty. She is currently serving life in prison with no chance of parole at Tutwiler Prison in Wetumpka, Alabama.
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