Ashtian Barnes
Birth date:
January 1, 1992
Death date:
April 28, 2016
Age at Death:
24
About
Very little was published about Mr. Barnes' personal life. Mr. Barnes is the son of Tommy and Janice Barnes, a 2009 graduate of Elsik High School, Houston, Texas. He had an older sister.
Mr. Barnes was fatally shot by a Harris County deputy constable after an attempted traffic stop in Houston,Texas. Authorities say the rental vehicle he was driving had a number of outstanding unpaid toll violations. Mr. Barnes said he had been driving the rental car for a week and said the unpaid violations were not his. Looking at the dash cam video, the deputy asked Mr. Barnes if he had marijuana in the car and asks Mr. Barnes to open the trunk and deputy said he smelled marijuana. Deputy said he asked him to step out of the car. Mr. Barnes did not step out, the deputy is seen on the video opening the driver's side door, and then, the vehicle began to move forward with the deputy climbing on to hold on - within 3 minutes the deputy fired at Mr. Barnes, who died at the scene. Officers say a gun was found under the front seat. No charges were filed.
Was justice served?
No. Though a grand jury found no probable cause to believe a murder or other assaultive offense was committed, the ability for law enforcement to profile and stop motorist for minor offenses, and with no tangible proof of a crime, search property of citizens calls into question civil rights. In December 2017, Mr. Barnes parents filed a personal injury lawsuit against the officer that shot their son. As of 04/21/21, the case is shown as pending. Source: https://unicourt.com/case/tx-hrd-barnes-janice-hughes-individually-and-vs-felix-roberto-jr-840790