Killing in Tuscaloosa May Have Been Self Defense, Suspect Avoids Charges For Now

Investigators in Tuscaloosa declined to bring charges against a 58-year-old man believed to have shot and killed a 24-year-old Wednesday afternoon.

Captain Kip Hart, the assistant commander of the Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit, said the older man had previously painted a vehicle for the victim, identified as 24-year-old Jarvis Deandre Barnes.

Hart said the two men apparently got into a dispute over payment for the paint job, which led to a physical fight in the suspect's yard.

At some point, the older man shot Barnes, who was found dead in a car on Beech Street in west Tuscaloosa soon after.

The suspect was still on the scene when police arrived, and was detained and questioned by investigators. who declined to immediately charge him with a crime.

Instead, Hart said, police will gather evidence about the altercation and present it at a later date to a judge or grand jury who will have the final say on whether to charge the man.

Because the older man was not charged with a crime Wednesday, police did not release his identity.