Russell Branden Barnes, 32, was killed in an early-morning double shooting in Portsmouth, Virginia, on April 20, 2024. Police were dispatched about 1:28 a.m. to the 600 block of Lancer Drive near Airline Boulevard after a report of suspicious activity. Officers found Barnes and Eric Pernell Jones Jr. suffering fatal gunshot wounds; prosecutors later described Jones as located in a parking lot and Barnes lying on the ground in front of a residence. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators focused on Jamal Antonio Parham. Prosecutors said Parham returned to the scene, admitted to shooting Jones, and pointed officers to a firearm on the front seat of his vehicle; police took him into custody there. Parham was charged in Portsmouth Circuit Court with two counts of second-degree murder, firearm counts, and additional aggravated-murder counts tied to multiple victims. No other suspect has been publicly identified.

The court docket showed the prosecution was ongoing as of the most recent records in January 2026. Does anyone have information about Barnes’s movements that night or witnessed activity on Lancer Drive around 1:30 a.m. on April 20, 2024?