On August 30, 2024, at approximately 1:20 a.m., Arlington Police Department officers responded to reports of gunshots near a car wash in the 2500 block of Brown Boulevard. Upon arrival, they discovered 20-year-old Zion Hodges lying unresponsive on the sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds; he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
During the investigation, detectives received multiple tips identifying an individual known as "Maxxo," later determined to be 21-year-old Sundall Barnes, as
the shooter. Barnes was also a suspect in an unrelated incident on August 13, 2024, involving the theft of a firearm from a vehicle. On September 7, 2024, officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Barnes was a passenger. He was arrested on outstanding warrants related to the theft case, and a search of the vehicle led to the recovery of the stolen firearm.
Ballistic testing matched shell casings from the recovered firearm to those found at the scene of Hodges' murder. Consequently, Barnes was charged with murder and booked into the Arlington City Jail before being transferred to the Tarrant County Jail, where he is currently held. In addition to the murder charge, Barnes faces charges including Theft of Firearm, Possession of Marijuana over 2 ounces, Burglary of Vehicles, and Obstruction, with a total bond set at $82,500.
Investigators do not believe the shooting was random; however, a clear motive has not been established. It appears that Hodges was walking from an apartment complex to a nearby motel where he was staying when the shooting occurred.
