On the eve of her 56th birthday, 55-year-old Carolyn Barr was shot and killed in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, an innocent victim caught in the crossfire of a robbery gone wrong. On the night of October 13, 2015, Barr had driven her nephew's fiancée home because a suspicious man had been seen near their residence on Brandon Avenue.
Barr's nephew, Keith Freeman Jr., later admitted to police that he was involved in selling drugs and kept money in his house. That evening, a man he did not know, later identified as Knowledge Dante Frierson, came to his door asking for someone unfamiliar. Feeling uneasy, Freeman asked his aunt to give his fiancée a ride. As Barr was leaving the home and her nephew was walking her to her car, Frierson emerged and a confrontation ensued. During the struggle between Frierson and Freeman, a shot was fired, striking and killing Barr.
In the ensuing chaos, both Freeman and Frierson exchanged gunfire as they moved down the street. Police later found Frierson in a nearby alley with a gunshot wound. Barr was found unresponsive on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to her abdomen and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. Investigators determined she was an accidental victim in the violent encounter.
In May 2016, Knowledge Dante Frierson was arrested and charged with criminal homicide and aggravated assault. In November 2017, a jury found the 24-year-old guilty of third-degree homicide, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, and three firearms charges. He was acquitted of the more serious charges of first and second-degree homicide, as well as attempted homicide and robbery. In February 2018, Frierson was sentenced to 26 to 60 years in a state prison for his role in the death of Carolyn Barr.
