A 17-year-old charged with murder in the shooting of community leader Barney Simms told police he shot Simms in self-defense, an Atlanta detective testified Tuesday. But the detective also said investigators didn't believe the teenager.
In a hearing Tuesday to decide whether there was probable cause for the case against Eric Banks, Atlanta police detective Kyle Klenhenz revealed the reason the teenager said he killed the 70-year-old man.
“Eric said that he felt threatened, took out a gun and shot Barney Simms,” Klenhenz testified, according to Channel 2 Action News.
Prosecutors said Simms' car, television and wallet were all missing, leading them to believe that Banks' motive was not self-defense but robbery.
Simms, a community activist and once an executive with the Atlanta Housing Authority, had driven Banks to a Virginia Avenue Waffle House for something to eat the afternoon of April 9. Simms had a photo of Banks in his cellphone, a picture taken while they were at the restaurant, police said.
About four hours after neighbors heard gunshots, Simms’ body was discovered in the bushes in front of his southwest Atlanta home. He had been shot twice in the back.
After seeing the photo of her son on news stories, Banks' mother persuaded him to turn himself in five days after the shooting.
Banks is being held without bond on six counts of murder, aggravated assault and armed robbery. A Fulton County judge ruled there was enough evidence for his case to move forward.
Related:
Community “heartbroken” over shooting death of Barney Simms, community activist
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