Timothy Barnes Jr., the 16-year-old shot and killed while waiting for a Gwinnett County school bus Nov. 2, will be laid to rest Saturday, his family said.
Barnes’ funeral will take place at Norcross First United Methodist Church on Beaver Ruin Road, his cousin LaShauna Dukes told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. There will be a visitation from 12-2 p.m. Saturday, followed by the funeral service at 3 p.m.
Credit: Family Photo
Credit: Family Photo
Central Gwinnett High School, which Barnes and the suspect in his shooting both attended, will hold a vigil in the 16-year-old’s honor Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., Dukes told the AJC. The candlelight vigil will take place in the school’s stadium.
Barnes’ family is also planning a memorial service at Rhodes Jordan Park on his birthday, Feb. 16, Dukes said. Another vigil in his honor was held at the same park Friday evening, just one day after Barnes died in the hospital.
Dukes created a GoFundMe page to help Barnes’ mother, Latoya Nicholson, with funeral expenses and bills. Barnes was the youngest of five siblings, the AJC previously reported. So far, the page has raised nearly $8,000 toward its $25,000 goal.
The 17-year-old charged in Barnes’ shooting, Serar Shakiib Abdi, remains in the Gwinnett County Jail on charges of malice murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, online jail records show. According to Gwinnett court records, Abdi is scheduled for a bond hearing Nov. 22.
Credit: Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office
The two teenagers were classmates and, according to Barnes’ family, they were friends. Barnes and Abdi had been joking with one another on the bus the day prior to the shooting when the joking turned serious, Dukes told the AJC. The teens got into a fight, which Dukes said Abdi lost. The next morning, Barnes was shot and fatally wounded while waiting for the school bus in Lawrenceville.
