Family and friends of Stefon Barnes, 29, from Harlem gathered at the corner of East Tremont Avenue and Marmion Avenue in the Crotona section of The Bronx on Sunday, April 7, to pay tribute to the young man, an innocent bystander who was gunned down, as reported, while picking up some food at a deli at the location on Sunday, March 31.

 

The crowd of about 25 left candles and flowers and later released white balloons into the air in Barnes’ memory. One female mourner, identified as Snoop, told Norwood News, “He was from Harlem, but he was a security guard. He had a job; he was a security guard at a local party place, and he came to get dinner to go home.”

Snoop said of her friend of 3 years, “He was a lovable person. He was loved, he was funny. He always smiled, he joked, he danced; he was a ladies’ man.” Snoop added, “I’m hurt. I was just with him two days before that, and it’s crazy.”

 

As reported, police said the incident was reported at 4:20 a.m. on March 31, with a police spokesperson telling Norwood News at the time, “an unknown individual approached another male inside the store, displayed a firearm, and attempted to remove property from him.” As reported, police said Barnes was shot in the leg inside Gourmet Deli, located at 851 East Tremont Avenue, on the corner with Marmion Avenue, and later died at St. Barnabas Hospital.

The police spokesperson added, “During the altercation, the individual discharged his firearm, striking the 29-year-old male victim in the right thigh. The individual then fled on foot westbound on East Tremont Avenue.” The spokesperson described the suspect as male, with a medium complexion, between 5 feet, 10 inches and 6 feet tall, with a medium build. Police said he was last seen wearing a black jacket and black sweatpants.

 

As reported, police later released a photo of a suspect sought in connection with the incident and announced on Tuesday, April 9, that the suspect was identified as Sh-Ward Bee, 31.

The corner of East Tremont and Marmion Avenue was the scene of another fatal shooting on Dec. 26, 2022, when Carlos Gonzalez, 26, of Foxhurst was shot several times in the chest and died. Police later charged Yerson Arzu, 19, with murder. Arzu is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law. We reached out to the Bronx District Attorney’s office to ask for an update on Arzu’s status and were informed that his next scheduled appearance in court is for discovery compliance on April 24 as part of TRP (Trial Ready Part) with Judge Alvin Yearwood.

 

Asked if she knew more about what happened, Snoop replied, “It was a robbery. It was somebody trying to rob somebody else. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.” She added that Barnes was saving up money to rent his own space and throw his own parties. “I loved him,” Snoop concluded. “I miss him. He’ll forever be missed and I’m sorry this happened to him.”

On Wednesday, April 17, police said that pursuant to an ongoing investigation, Schward Bee of Mount Vernon, NY, a 31-year-old male, was arrested earlier that morning at 1 a.m. in the confines of the 48 Precinct:

 

He was charged with murder, robbery, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. He is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

 

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

 

All calls are strictly confidential.