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Police: Teen linked to the shooting through DNA evidence
Harry "Mike" Ainsworth was shot, trying to stop a carjacking
His two sons were with him when he died
New Orleans police have arrested a 17-year-old in connection with the shooting of a Good Samaritan who died in front of his two sons while trying to stop a carjacking.
Several tips from the community led to Tuesday’s arrest of Kendall Harrison, who is accused of shooting Harry “Mike” Ainsworth, 44.
Ainsworth was with his two sons, ages 9 and 11, as they waited for a morning school bus on January 25.
When he saw a man carjacking his neighbor, Ainsworth ran to help, jumping on the hood of the car, police said.
Opinion: A father who gave his life for his neighbor
The carjacker shot him through the windowshield, police said.
Wounded, Ainsworth staggered into a neighbor’s yard where he collapsed.
The boys ran to him and sat by his side until emergency responders arrived. It was too late. The two sons witnessed their father die.
How to help Ainsworth’s family
On Tuesday, police picked up Harrison at his school.
Authorities linked him to the case through DNA testing and are charging him as an adult.
Harry Ainsworth was a longtime volunteer with the New Orleans Police Department’s COPS 8 program, which provides assistance to the officers of the 8th District.
“The members of the 8th District station sincerely appreciated his efforts to fix up the station by painting and repairing various things in the building,” police Supt. Ronal Serpas said last month. “He’ll be missed.”
CNN’s Rick Martin contributed to this report