Destiny Da’sha Harrison, a 21-year-old Baltimore salon owner, was shot in the head and killed inside her business, Madam D Beauty Bar, on December 21, 2019. The murder of Destiny Harrison remains unsolved. No arrests have been made, and the case is now handled as a Baltimore cold case with a reward of up to $8,000 for information leading to charges.1WMAR 2 News. The 2019 Murder of Destiny Harrison Remains Unsolved
What Happened at Madam D Beauty Bar
Shortly after 6 p.m. on December 21, 2019, Baltimore Police were dispatched to the 200 block of North Milton Avenue in the McElderry Park neighborhood of southeast Baltimore.2WMAR 2 News. A Woman Dies After Being Shot in the Head Saturday Officers found Harrison with a gunshot wound to the head inside her salon. She was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.1WMAR 2 News. The 2019 Murder of Destiny Harrison Remains Unsolved
Investigators believe one or more suspects entered the salon and shot her. Other people were inside the business when it happened. None have publicly come forward to identify the shooter.310News. Baltimore Salon Owner Feared for Her Safety Before Her Murder, Court Documents Show
The Burglary and Peace Order Twelve Days Earlier
On December 9, 2019, Harrison caught two people who lived near her salon stealing about $3,000 worth of hair extensions.4BET. Salon Owner Told Authorities I Am Scared for My Life When she confronted them and demanded the merchandise back, she said the encounter turned violent. In written testimony, she stated that one suspect held her down while the other beat and stomped on her.5WMAR 2 News. Court Documents Reveal Destiny Harrison Feared for Safety Before Her Murder
Harrison filed charges. The man and woman were charged with assault, theft, and burglary.6Fox Baltimore. Baltimore Police Continue Search for Destiny Harrison’s Killer She told a court commissioner she believed one of them had a violent background, and on December 19, 2019, she obtained a peace order against the male suspect barring him from contacting her or coming near her salon.5WMAR 2 News. Court Documents Reveal Destiny Harrison Feared for Safety Before Her Murder Two days later, she was killed.
No public reporting has confirmed whether either person charged in the burglary was formally investigated as a suspect in the murder, or how those charges were resolved.
Where the Case Stands
More than five years after the shooting, no one has been arrested. The Baltimore Police Department initially offered a reward of up to $4,000 for information leading to an arrest and charges.7WBAL-TV. BPD Offers $4K Reward for Information in Deaths of Bailey Reeves, Destiny Harrison By 2024, the reward had grown to $8,000.1WMAR 2 News. The 2019 Murder of Destiny Harrison Remains Unsolved
Harrison’s mother, Racquel Harrison-Jones, has said detectives remain in contact with her and are “actively working” the case with “some leads,” but she has described the process as “a waiting game.” She has said publicly that despite the number of people inside the salon that day, no witness has stepped forward.1WMAR 2 News. The 2019 Murder of Destiny Harrison Remains Unsolved Anyone with information can reach Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-LOCKUP.
Who Destiny Harrison Was
Harrison was born April 16, 1998, at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. She attended Baltimore City public schools and graduated from Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School, where she earned her cosmetology license.8Chatman Harris Funeral Home. Obituary of Destiny Da’sha Harrison She spent two years studying business at Bowie State University. By 21, she had opened multiple salons, including one called The Hair Trap and the shop where she was killed, Madam D Beauty Bar. She was the mother of a daughter, Dream Forever King, who was about one year old at the time of the shooting.
Her family remembered her as ambitious and determined to build a legacy through her work. Her mother told reporters Destiny “wanted to be known as a legend for doing hair.”9WBAL-TV. Mother of Destiny Harrison Remembers Her Daughter Baltimore native and professional boxer Gervonta Davis publicly offered to pay for Harrison’s funeral and, according to his coach and a message Davis posted on Instagram, followed through.10CBS News Baltimore. Gervonta Davis, Destiny Harrison Funeral Costs, Fatal Shooting
The Destiny Harrison Dream Scholarship Fund
After the killing, Baltimore City Councilman Zeke Cohen proposed raising $20,000 to establish a scholarship for cosmetology students at Mergenthaler Vo-Tech, Harrison’s alma mater.11WBAL-TV. Cosmetology Scholarship, Destiny Harrison That effort became the Destiny Harrison Dream Scholarship Fund, administered with help from Healing City Baltimore.12Afro. Forty Cosmetology Students Receive Destiny’s Dream Scholarship in Honor of Slain Entrepreneur
The fund has raised more than $70,000, with awards going toward students’ licensing fees and start-up kits.13WBAL-TV. Destiny Dream Scholarship Fund, Mervo Students Receive Scholarship Awards The first round of scholarships was awarded to Mervo students in February 2021. By June 2022, 40 cosmetology students from four Baltimore City schools had received awards.12Afro. Forty Cosmetology Students Receive Destiny’s Dream Scholarship in Honor of Slain Entrepreneur