Victim’s Voice: “It was like somebody took a knife and just shoved it in our stomachs” | A reality parents now have to accept

BATON ROUGE — The knock at the door changed everything. A parent’s worst nightmare became reality when detectives knocked on Travis and Anna Harrison’s door late Saturday night. The news they delivered shattered their world: their son, Trevor Harrison, was gone.

For the Harrisons, Saturday began as any other day. Their son, Trevor, had left home around Noon, eager to help a friend’s family with a plumbing job. He had promised to meet his family for a night of bowling, a small break before the final stretch of college. Those plans changed and Trevor never made it home.

Instead, detectives arrived at the Harrison household late that night.

“We thought it was an Amazon delivery,” Anna recalled, her voice trembling. “Then we saw two men standing at the door. My husband knew immediately. He watches these detective shows… he knew.”

The officers spoke, their words shattering the world as the Harrisons knew it.

“Trevor Harrison has been shot.”

Their first question was the only one that mattered.

“Is he dead?” Travis asked.

“Yes,” the detective confirmed. “Unfortunately, he’s passed.” The pain of their new reality, too much to bear.

“I can’t even explain it. It was like somebody took a knife and just shoved it in our stomachs and just kept twisting it,” Anna said, her voice breaking as she recalled the moment. “It was the most awful, faint feeling, like we were going to pass out. It was horrible.”

Trevor, a 27-year-old college graduate, was on the cusp of a promising future. Just days away from finishing his degree in civil engineering and computer pipe design and drafting, he had dreams of building a life for himself. Instead, his life was stolen in an instant, caught in the crossfire of gun violence while trying to help a family in need.

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A Selfless Act Ends in Tragedy

Trevor had taken on a plumbing job in the Eden Park area, stepping in after his friend’s girlfriend’s father—who suffered from dementia—was quoted an exorbitant $9,000 for plumbing work. Trevor insisted on helping for a fraction of the cost. But just before 7:00 p.m., as he and his longtime friend Austin Miller returned from Home Depot to finish the job, gunfire erupted.

“He was literally in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Trevor’s father, Travis Harrison, said. “Two minutes earlier, two minutes later, he probably would have been fine.”

A stray bullet hit Trevor in the head through the driver’s side window, killing him instantly. Police say the incident happened at 4660 Fairfields Ave. His truck, now lifelessly veering off course, crashed into a parked car. Bullets riddled nearby homes, leaving behind only shattered glass and terrified neighbors. But for the Harrison family, the destruction was far worse—an unfillable void where their son’s future once shined so brightly.

MORE FROM UWK: Caught in a crossfire: Plumber shot, killed while completing job in Baton Rouge

A Family’s Heartache and a City’s Crisis

“He was always smiling, always helping people,” Travis said, his voice thick with grief. “He wasn’t even doing plumbing work anymore because he was about to graduate. But when Austin called and told him about the situation, he said, ‘I got it. I’ll help.’ That was Trevor.”

“He was an excellent artist,” Travis said, a broken pride in his voice. “Since he moved back home, he was teaching his little sister—she’s only nine—how to draw. He was gifted. He could draw anything. But more than that, he was a kind, family-oriented kid. He would give you the shirt off his back.”

Trevor’s mother, Anna, spoke about the circumstances that led to her son’s death, recalling the moment she realized he had been working in an area she wished she had warned him about.

“Trevor didn’t grow up around there. He didn’t understand how bad it was,” she said. “Had I known where he was, I would have advised him to get out before it got dark.”

Her father, Coach Tom Farrell, had dedicated years to mentoring underprivileged children in the very community that would later claim his grandson’s life. The irony crushed Anna’s heart.

“When I saw Eden Park, I thought of my dad instantly,” she sobbed. “My dad was a coach there for seven years. Coach Ferrell. Everybody knew my dad and he actually did a lot for that community,” she said. 

Her father, Tom Farrell, grew up as an orphan in Jersey and was a basketball star throughout grade school and in college. He was committed to making a difference in the life of underprivileged kids.

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“He was making a change. Believe it or not, you can ask people around there if they know Coach Farrell. He would spend nights and weekends and days changing basketball nets, buying shoes for the kids. He just loved it,” Anna recalled.

Fairfield Ave., where the shooting happened, falls within the 70802 zip code. The 70802 and 70805 zip codes accounted for the majority of murders, with 20 and 18, respectively. These areas cover central and northern Baton Rouge. 

A City in Crisis

The grief has quickly turned to anger. The Harrisons are demanding answers—demanding change.

“This has to stop,” Travis said, his voice filled with fury and pain. “Nobody feels safe in our city anymore. People don’t value life. Where is the community? Where is the accountability?”

The Eden Park area has long been riddled with crime, a reality Trevor wasn’t fully aware of.

The Harrisons are calling for stricter laws, a dedicated “gang task force,” and real consequences for those terrorizing their streets.

“This can’t keep happening,” Travis insisted. “Good kids are dying. Families are being destroyed. At some point, we as a community have to stand up and say, ‘Enough’.”

The Fight for Justice

“You know, at some point the community has to come together and start making a stand against this violence. It’s as though there’s no God in their lives, there’s no church in these people, they’re soulless,” Travis said, referring to the individuals behind the guns.

Trevor’s killers remain unknown. Police have yet to make any arrests, and the motive behind the shooting is unclear. Fear grips the community—witnesses hesitant to come forward. “People are scared to speak,” Anna said.

But the Harrisons refuse to let their son’s murder fade into another statistic. They demand justice—not just for Trevor, but for every innocent life lost to senseless violence.

“We want to know who did this,” Anna said firmly. “We want them to be held accountable. We won’t stop until they are.”

The Harrisons feel confident that Mayor Sid Edwards is making strides toward cleaning up the crime in the city. Travis Harrison says he has strong ideas that he’s ready to share.

“This city is sick,” he said passionately. “I’m hoping to meet with Mayor Sid this week. Changes have to be made. I want stricter laws. They are terrorizing our city.”

“They don’t care about us. They don’t care about what they did,” Anna added. “Everybody is scared to death. You snitch, they come kill you and your family. That’s why nobody talks. That’s why this keeps happening.”

Police are urging anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 344-STOP. A $5,000 reward is being offered for tips leading to an arrest.

For the Harrisons, nothing will bring Trevor back. But they will fight, so no other family has to feel the pain they now carry.

“He was supposed to graduate in a few weeks,” Travis said softly. “Here is my son, a great soul with a bright future ahead of him. Just a great kid.”

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