On a tragic Saturday morning in Waterbury, Connecticut, the life of a young Black/African American woman, 22-year-old Ebony Swaby, was cut short. On May 7, 2016, what should have been a peaceful morning turned into a scene of violence inside the Clifton Avenue apartment she shared with her boyfriend. The day before Mother's Day, a day she would have celebrated for the first time with her infant child, ended in her untimely death.
Waterbury Police responded to a call about a disturbance
at the residence shortly before 9 a.m. Upon arrival, they discovered Ebony suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at 9:20 a.m. The authorities quickly identified her 32-year-old live-in boyfriend, Camal Barnes, as the person responsible for the shooting. In a turn of events, it was Barnes himself who had called 911 after the incident.
The investigation revealed that the shooting occurred during a domestic dispute. The couple's two-month-old baby was present in the home at the time of the fatal argument but was thankfully unharmed. The infant was later placed in the care of the Department of Children and Families. Neighbors expressed their shock, stating that the couple had appeared to be normal and were even seen hugging the night before the incident.
Camal Barnes was taken into custody and charged with murder and risk of injury to a minor, the latter charge stemming from the baby's presence during the violent act. He was held on a one-million-dollar bond. Years later, in September 2022, Barnes pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter with a firearm. He was subsequently sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in Ebony Swaby's death.
