In a north Minneapolis neighborhood, the afternoon of February 23, 2026, was shattered by an act of violence that claimed the lives of two brothers. Inside a home on the 4200 block of Irving Avenue North, 14-year-old Xavier Barnett and his 23-year-old brother, Akwane Stewart, were shot and killed. The tragedy unfolded in the presence of their grandmother and four other children who were inside the residence at the time but were not physically harmed.
Friends and neighbors, who were accustomed to seeing Xavier playing football and basketball in the street, were left heartbroken and in shock.
The suspect in the double homicide was identified by police as Eddie Duncan, the 23-year-old cousin of the two victims. The shooting occurred just hours after Duncan had been released from the Hennepin County Jail on a $35,000 bond. He had been arrested on February 15 on charges of fleeing police and possessing a handgun that had been illegally modified to be fully automatic. Investigators believe Duncan went to the family home to confront his relatives about this recent arrest, a confrontation that ultimately led to the fatal shooting of his two cousins. The family now mourns a loss they believe was preventable, expressing that the justice system and relatives who posted his bail had failed them.
After fleeing the scene of the murders, the suspect’s brief time as a fugitive came to a violent end in the nearby community of Brooklyn Center. Police there received calls about a man waving a gun outside of local businesses. When officers arrived, they confronted Duncan. An exchange of gunfire ensued, and Duncan was shot and killed by the police. No officers were injured during the confrontation. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the officer-involved shooting.
Friends, coaches, and family remembered Xavier Barnett as a kind young man who played lineman for a youth football team, the Band of Wolves. He was viewed as a big brother by many of the younger children in his neighborhood. His coach recalled a happy young man whose smile could light up a room, reflecting on how his love for the game was growing. The community was left to grieve the sudden and tragic loss of a promising young life, a sentiment echoed by the sight of Xavier's friends, still in their school backpacks, arriving at the scene in tears.
