On a Friday afternoon in New Orleans, September 12, 2014, the life of 26-year-old Shandon Barnes, an African-American man, was tragically cut short. Known to his loved ones as 'Big Man,' Barnes was a father to four young children. His sisters remember him as a man who could lift your spirits and bring a smile to your face.
That afternoon, at around 4 p.m., Barnes was driving his blue Chevrolet Trailblazer in the Algiers neighborhood.
As he traveled down Flanders Street, a silver, four-door car pulled alongside him, and shots were fired. Barnes's vehicle, riddled with bullets, crashed into the fence of a two-story apartment building near the intersection of Socrates and Flanders streets. When authorities arrived, they found Barnes inside, having been shot multiple times, including a fatal wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators believed the shooting may have been in retaliation for a confrontation Barnes had a couple of months prior. Two months after the murder, homicide detectives announced they were looking for 24-year-old Wellington Cronin, Sr., believing he might have information about the shooting. However, Cronin was never formally accused in connection with Barnes's death. About a year later, Cronin was arrested for the shooting death of another man, Aaron Bannister. He eventually pleaded guilty to manslaughter in that case and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Despite the police department's belief that they were close to identifying a suspect in Barnes's murder, the case has grown cold. Years have passed, and no arrests have been made, leaving the death of Shandon Barnes an unsolved crime that continues to haunt his family and the New Orleans community. His case stands as a stark reminder of the lives tragically lost to gun violence, with a family still waiting for justice and closure.
