Tyras J. McKinney, a 27-year-old Black man known to his loved ones as “T.J.,” was a beloved barber building a joyful life in Tallahassee, Florida. Remembered as a kind, humble, and goofy “gentle giant,” T.J. was devoted to his family. He had completed a barbering program at Lively Technical Center and established a loyal client base at Clippers Barbershop. He and his fiancée, Niesha Ross, were raising their young son, Aidyn, and had set their wedding date for July 27, 2019, just over a month away. Family said he was happier than he had ever been, with a wonderful future planned with the family he adored.
That future was stolen on the evening of June 20, 2019. T.J. was at his station at the barbershop on South Adams Street, cutting hair while his toddler son played nearby. Around 5:10 p.m., a man, later identified as a co-worker named Xaver Barkley, entered the shop and shot T.J. As T.J.
lay wounded on the floor, Barkley picked up the little boy and pointed a handgun at his head. Horrified witnesses in the shop pleaded with Barkley to release the child. After waving the gun at the patrons, Barkley turned back to T.J. and shot him a second time, killing him. He then let the boy go and walked away from the scene.
The Tallahassee Police Department responded to multiple calls about the shooting. Less than two hours later, at about 7:06 p.m., citizens alerted investigators that Barkley had returned on foot to an area just north of the crime scene. He was immediately taken into custody and transported to police headquarters for questioning. Following an investigation by the Violent Crimes Unit and consultation with the State Attorney’s Office, Barkley was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Records showed Barkley had a prior history of violent offenses.
Barkley’s mental state became a central issue in the legal proceedings that followed. After evaluations by two doctors, he was found incompetent to stand trial in March 2020 due to an unspecified schizophrenia spectrum disorder. A judge ordered him committed to a secure facility for psychiatric treatment. In September 2020, he was transferred from the Leon County jail to Florida State Hospital. By January 2021, however, hospital officials determined that Barkley’s competency had been restored and he no longer met the criteria for commitment. He was subsequently transported back to Leon County to face the charges against him.
In the days after the murder, T.J.’s grieving family, friends, and clients held vigils and memorial services. They remembered him as a great young man and a devoted father whose son and fiancée were his entire world. His mother recalled that he was born on the night she had tickets to see Luther Vandross, and giving them up for the new man in her life was "all worth it." His cousin and best man, Troy Shack, found peace in their last conversation the night before the shooting. "The last thing I told him Wednesday night is that I love you and I’ll talk to you later,” Shack said. “And he was happier than he has ever been.”
A GoFundMe account was established to help support his son, Aidyn. T.J.'s family and friends gathered to share memories of the man who loved the Florida Gators, the Green Bay Packers, and LeBron James, and who was the glue that held his family together. His pastor, who had recently met with the couple for pre-marital mentoring, remembered seeing them on Father's Day, just days before the tragedy. "They had a wonderful future planned," he said.
After being returned to Leon County, Xaver Barkley's case proceeded through the court system. In February 2022, he pleaded no contest to the charges against him. On April 20, 2022, a judge sentenced Xaver Barkley to life in prison for the murder of Tyras McKinney, with additional concurrent sentences of 30 years for kidnapping and five years for each count of aggravated assault. As of April 2022, the criminal case is closed.
