Police ID shooter, victims in murder-suicide
GRAVETTE — The police department in Gravette has released the names of those killed in the apparent murder-suicide which occurred Friday afternoon at 15071 Crossover Road in Gravette (on the south side of Crossover Road, just east of Gordon Hollow Road).
Justin Barnes was identified as the shooter, and his wife Inga Barnes and adult children Levi and Casey Barnes were victims, according to information released by Capt. Chris Kelley of the Gravette Police Department in a news conference Saturday morning outside the police station. Neither Levi or Casey Barnes lived at the residence, but another adult child who was not named and lives at the residence was not home when the shooting occurred.
Justin Barnes called to report the shooting at 2:39 p.m. on Friday, according to Kelley, and he was also identified as the shooter.
Kelley said that police investigators now believe that Justin took his own life when police and the SWAT team had arrived and were preparing to approach the home. In addition to Gravette police, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and police from Decatur and Sulphur Springs responded to the scene, Kelley said. The Arkansas State Police also responded, he said.
Though multiple weapons were reported at the home, Kelley said a .22 caliber handgun was used in all four of the killings. He said it was not yet known who owned the handgun but that it was not reported as stolen.
The motive for the murdersuicide remains under investigation, Kelley said, adding that police have some hints but not enough to release any information. He said the Benton County Sheriff’s Office is assisting in the ongoing investigation, and the four bodies were sent to the state crime lab.
Kelley again said this was a difficult case to work because of the closeness of the community and the fact that many likely knew the family.
At a news conference on Friday evening, Kelley said, “This is very tragic. We’re a small community here. We know a lot of people and a lot of us grew up here. It hits close to home whenever something like this happens because a lot of times it’s someone that we know personally. The community more than likely would know them personally.”
Two bodies were located outside and two were found inside the home, according to Benton County Coroner Daniel Oxford.
Oxford and two of his deputy coroners were still at the scene around 7 p.m. on Friday, and he said he expected them to be there another hour. He was unsure when police would leave the home.
“There is a lot to go through,” Kelley said of processing the scene.
Kelley said, to his knowledge, police previously had not been called to the home.
He asked for prayers for the family, as well as for police and first responders who worked the scene.
“Together, we’ll work through this,” he said.
Mike Jones, of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, contributed to this story.