New fliers are up to help find the person who killed Ronald Harnish, a Navy sailor, back on Dec. 27, 2006.
"Parents aren't supposed to bury their kids," Sergeant Bruce Pendleton said. "It's not supposed to happen that way."
As a dad, Sgt. Pendleton feels for Harnish's mom
"I know she calls periodically; I think pretty much regularly," Pendleton said.
"My son was someone, and he mattered to a lot of people," his mom said back in 2009. "This can't go unanswered. It's just wrong."
Harnish and two other sailors pulled up to the intersection at 30th Street and C in Golden Hill around 10 p.m. on Dec. 27, 2006. They got in some sort of argument with a couple of guys on the sidewalk. Harnish got out, then his killer shot him twice and got away. Someone shot one of the other sailors in the car, but he survived. Pendleton responded to the scene.
"[There were] very few cars and not many people out," Pendleton explained.
It was not blood on the ground that got to him.
"The fact that he was in the military... that's the part that stuck with me, because I'm prior military myself," Pendleton added.
The Air Force vet knew Harnish had just come home from a deployment.
"You sign up in the military to protect your country," he said. "You never dream that you're going to be riding down the street and all of the sudden you get shot."
"You expect that to happen in times of war, but not when it's peace time, and you're driving down the street minding your own business."
Harnish had just been accepted into the Navy SEAL program. He was willing to put his life on the line, and the question remains: who took his?
"I need someone to stand up for him," his mom said.
Pendleton is trying, but he needs help.
"I feel for her because I know she's looking for closure," Pendleton explained. "It's kind of sad because I know there are people out there with information, but for whatever reason, won't come forward."
There is a $53,000 reward on the table. Anyone with information can call the crimestoppers anonymous tipline at 888-580-8477 (TIPS). You can sent an anonymous email or text via www.sdcrimestoppers.com.
