Rayjon Tyree Barnes, 24, was killed in the earliest hours of April 10, 2024, after a gathering in the parking lot of North Hill Farms Apartments on Cherry Hill Drive in Pontiac, Michigan turned violent. Deputies responding about 12:26 a.m. found that an argument had escalated into gunfire aimed into a crowd; Barnes was found unresponsive with a single gunshot wound to the head and did not survive. Two other men in their 20s suffered non-life-threatening wounds to their legs and were treated and released from McLaren Hospital.

Neighbors described a sudden, chaotic scene: one resident said she had just given Barnes a plate of food before hearing the arguing and seeing him run. His girlfriend described him as a steady presence in her life and in her daughter’s world. Investigators said they were trying to identify who fired into the crowd; initial public updates urged witnesses to come forward and no arrest had been announced. Crime Stoppers offered up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest.

The killing intensified residents’ long-standing concerns about safety at the complex, with calls for cameras and stronger security after repeated violence. If anyone was at the scene or knows who brought a gun into that crowd, please share what you know with investigators.