Kyrie Barnes, a boy in Texas that was shot in his bed when just seven years old, died from his injuries on Thursday, two days after he was hit by the stray bullet that ripped through his apartment through a second-story window of his apartment complex at around 9:30 pm.
One neighbor of Kyrie commented on the situation, saying that a volley of gunfire followed fireworks and the residents of the apartment complex tried to shield themselves, saying, “Right after we heard the fireworks, we heard big shots. Probably five or six shots. And we started ducking with our kids to make sure all our kids were okay.”
That same neighbor added that she was worried about the safety of the kids at the complex and their ability to go outside and play, saying, “With it being a shooting, it’s kind of hard to allow them to go outside and play. And these apartments are already small, so they can’t really play on the inside as much as they could outside.”
Another neighbor, one who both lives in the complex and performs maintenance for it, said, “When I heard the gunshots, it was about 8 on the other side of the property. In that time, a white truck passed by. But at the same time of the gunshots, there were some fireworks. But I don’t know. The people here responded, then we heard three other gunshots.”
Police, at the time the shooting occurred, had few details to share about who they suspected committed the shooting, along with whether the round that hit Barnes had been aimed at the apartment building or was fired at random in celebration. Fox 4 reported on that dearth of detail at the time, reporting, “Police have said little about the investigation, only saying they have no suspect information to provide. They have not said how many people they’re looking for, who may have been targeted or addressed a possible motive for the gunfire.”
Police said in a statement on Friday, “Kyrie’s family has provided his photo and given permission for the use of his name in the hope that anyone with information on this case will contact the Dallas Police Department.”