Shooting leaves toddler, Nylah Franco-Torrez, dead, 2 wounded in San Bernardino, CA/ 19 yr old Brandon Taray Barnes arrested

Visit msnbc.com for [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], and [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Revenge? 3-year-old slain, pregnant mom hurt after Good Samaritan intervenes
20 shots were fired at Calif. home, witness says; family mourns loss of 'sweet little girl'

San Bernardino Police Department / AP

Nylah Franco-Torrez was killed when a shooter fired into a house in San Bernardino, Calif. Another 3-year-old girl remains in critical condition.
msnbc.com staff and news service reports
updated 2 hours 2 minutes ago

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — A suspect in a shooting that killed a 3-year-old girl and left a pregnant woman and her toddler critically wounded was motivated by revenge against a Good Samaritan, police said.

The surviving toddler, also a 3-year-old girl, is in critical condition, reported The Los Angeles Times, as is her mother, who is five months pregnant

The suspect is accused of assaulting a woman, who lived near the shooting victims, in San Bernadino on Monday, San Bernardino Police Chief Keith Kilmer told The L.A. Times.

Witness accounts led police to believe that the Good Samaritan saw the gunman assaulting the woman Monday and intervened, allowing her to escape, said San Bernardino police Lt. Gwendolyn Waters.
The suspect apparently then went to the man's home Monday evening and started shooting, she said. The shots hit the pregnant woman in the neck and jaw, and both 3-year-old girls in the head. One, Nylah Franco-Torrez, was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to The Times.

"We believe it was revenge," Waters said Tuesday. "This is somebody that was trying to do a good deed."

Neighbors said an extended family lived inside the house. About a dozen people were home when the shooting occurred, Waters said, but the relationships among them were not entirely clear.


Police on Wednesday were searching for the gunman, who they believe ran away, and want to speak to the woman who was assaulted and at least two other witnesses to the assault.

The pregnant woman and her 3-year-old daughter remained hospitalized Tuesday, authorities said. The woman was upgraded to stable condition, but the 3-year-old was in extremely critical condition late Tuesday, Waters said.

The pregnant woman and her 3-year-old daughter were on the porch of the house when they gunfire started, Waters said.

Police are not releasing the names of her or her daughter. The fetus appears unharmed, Waters said.
Sophia Cardona, the great-grandmother of Nylah Franco-Torrez, told The Times that she was cooking when shots started.

"We lost one of our babies," Cardona said of Nylah. "She was a sweet little girl."

On Tuesday, residents — some who didn't know the victims — left teddy bears, candles and flowers at a memorial set up outside the family's bullet-riddled home.

"We're just outraged. We're disgusted about the whole situation," said LaTonya King, who visited the family and planned to voice her concerns at a City Council meeting next week. "We don't want to see this thing slid under the rug."

Residents of the mustard-colored house wedged between a tax service business and a boarded-up home declined to comment when approached by The Associated Press.

Frank Damian had just gone inside his house across the street to watch television when he heard the shots ring out.

"It went pow-pow, pow-pow-pow — it was about a good 20 shots," said Damian, adding that his wife grabbed the phone and called 911.

At a news conference Tuesday, police released a photo of Franco-Torrez wearing a blue-flowered sundress, her eyes looking straight at the camera.

Kilmer urged the public to come forward with any information that could help officers in their investigation and encouraged the gunman to turn himself in.

"We will find you, we will seek you out and we will arrest you and bring you to justice," Kilmer said. "We are going to be relentless."

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

NO words..,

More than 200 mourners said farewell Thursday to Nylah Franco-Torrez, the 3-year-old girl slain at her family's San Bernardino home Sept. 12 by a gunman who fired at least a dozen shots at the house, also wounding Nylah's 3-year-old cousin and her pregnant aunt.
The chapel at Harrison Ross Mortuary in San Bernardino was packed with relatives, community leaders and friends, many still stunned by the toddler's killing, which came on a violent night following 66 days without a homicide in the city.
Then Sept. 12, seven people were shot during four incidents, prompting outrage by both citizens and city officials.
“This is a loss of innocence. This is our city. This is our home. The violence must stop. How we treat one another is how we solve this problem,” San Bernardino Councilman Robert Jenkins said at the funeral.
Sam Rey, pastor of the Restored to Life Ministry, read a letter from Nylah's mother, Jessica Franco:
“Nylah left so many broken-hearted. She brought joy to our family, and we'll never be the same. Where there used to be light is now only darkness. We will hurt forever,” the letter read. “I know why God wanted you home. I just want to know why it had to be so soon. I miss you terribly, we all miss you.”
Franco attended the service wearing a T-shirt with her daughter's photo. She sat in an alcove at the side of the chapel, weeping, surrounded by family members. She briefly thanked the crowd for attending.
The funeral was held 10 days after the attack at the D Street home.
Police said the shooter was angry with Nylah's uncle, Jerry Howie, who had stopped the man from beating up a woman in the neighborhood earlier that evening.
Nylah's aunt, La-Donna Howie, and Howie's 3-year-old daughter, Justine, were sitting on the front porch when they were hit. A bullet pierced the wall of the house and hit Nylah in the side.
Two days later, police arrested Brandon Taray Barnes, 19, of San Bernardino. He has been charged with murder and seven counts of attempted murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
La-Donna Howie, who is five months pregnant, was shot in the neck and jaw, but her unborn baby was not harmed. She has been released from the hospital.
Justine was shot in the head and was in extremely critical condition for several days. She is now recovering at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, said her uncle, John Prendergast, before the service.
“Last week they closed her wounds and she was crying for her mommy,” Prendergast said. “She's a tough little girl. We hope she doesn't remember that night.”
La-Donna and Jerry Howie were at the hospital with their wounded daughter and did not attend the funeral, Prendergast said.
NYLAH REMEMBERED
The family held a private service Wednesday.
There was no casket at Thursday's service. Instead, the front of the chapel was decorated with Nylah's Minnie Mouse doll, photos and flower arrangements shaped like a high-heel shoe and a purse.
Family members, friends and city leaders shared memories of the smiling little girl who enjoyed playing dress-up.
They noted Nylah's sunny personality and how she loved to sing. They said she watched the movie “Avatar” so often she had it memorized.
In her letter, Franco recalled how her daughter liked to walk around the house in high heels, carrying a purse full of makeup. Nylah also enjoyed driving her pink Barbie toy jeep in her driveway.
Rey told the audience they would see Nylah again in heaven.
“The death of a child is the most unnatural and the hardest to bear,” Rey said.
“It's a reminder any of us can be recalled at any time. We have no guarantee how long God gives us to live. We must maximize each day and make each day a blessing,” he said.
Many of those in the audience wore T-shirts that read, “Stop The Violence.”
Following the shooting, city leaders touted decade-low crime levels as a result of the city program Operation Phoenix.
Jenkins said Thursday that Nylah's death should serve as a call to action to end violence once again.
“On Sept. 12, we suffered. On Sept. 22 we take a stand and we smile,” Jenkins said. “We will take this city back one smile and one hello at a time by doing kindness to another.”

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

More than 200 mourners said farewell Thursday to Nylah Franco-Torrez, the 3-year-old girl slain at her family's San Bernardino home Sept. 12 by a gunman who fired at least a dozen shots at the house, also wounding Nylah's 3-year-old cousin and her pregnant aunt.
The chapel at Harrison Ross Mortuary in San Bernardino was packed with relatives, community leaders and friends, many still stunned by the toddler's killing, which came on a violent night following 66 days without a homicide in the city.
Then Sept. 12, seven people were shot during four incidents, prompting outrage by both citizens and city officials.
“This is a loss of innocence. This is our city. This is our home. The violence must stop. How we treat one another is how we solve this problem,” San Bernardino Councilman Robert Jenkins said at the funeral.
Sam Rey, pastor of the Restored to Life Ministry, read a letter from Nylah's mother, Jessica Franco:
“Nylah left so many broken-hearted. She brought joy to our family, and we'll never be the same. Where there used to be light is now only darkness. We will hurt forever,” the letter read. “I know why God wanted you home. I just want to know why it had to be so soon. I miss you terribly, we all miss you.”
Franco attended the service wearing a T-shirt with her daughter's photo. She sat in an alcove at the side of the chapel, weeping, surrounded by family members. She briefly thanked the crowd for attending.
The funeral was held 10 days after the attack at the D Street home.
Police said the shooter was angry with Nylah's uncle, Jerry Howie, who had stopped the man from beating up a woman in the neighborhood earlier that evening.
Nylah's aunt, La-Donna Howie, and Howie's 3-year-old daughter, Justine, were sitting on the front porch when they were hit. A bullet pierced the wall of the house and hit Nylah in the side.
Two days later, police arrested Brandon Taray Barnes, 19, of San Bernardino. He has been charged with murder and seven counts of attempted murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
La-Donna Howie, who is five months pregnant, was shot in the neck and jaw, but her unborn baby was not harmed. She has been released from the hospital.
Justine was shot in the head and was in extremely critical condition for several days. She is now recovering at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, said her uncle, John Prendergast, before the service.
“Last week they closed her wounds and she was crying for her mommy,” Prendergast said. “She's a tough little girl. We hope she doesn't remember that night.”
La-Donna and Jerry Howie were at the hospital with their wounded daughter and did not attend the funeral, Prendergast said.
NYLAH REMEMBERED
The family held a private service Wednesday.
There was no casket at Thursday's service. Instead, the front of the chapel was decorated with Nylah's Minnie Mouse doll, photos and flower arrangements shaped like a high-heel shoe and a purse.
Family members, friends and city leaders shared memories of the smiling little girl who enjoyed playing dress-up.
They noted Nylah's sunny personality and how she loved to sing. They said she watched the movie “Avatar” so often she had it memorized.
In her letter, Franco recalled how her daughter liked to walk around the house in high heels, carrying a purse full of makeup. Nylah also enjoyed driving her pink Barbie toy jeep in her driveway.
Rey told the audience they would see Nylah again in heaven.
“The death of a child is the most unnatural and the hardest to bear,” Rey said.
“It's a reminder any of us can be recalled at any time. We have no guarantee how long God gives us to live. We must maximize each day and make each day a blessing,” he said.
Many of those in the audience wore T-shirts that read, “Stop The Violence.”
Following the shooting, city leaders touted decade-low crime levels as a result of the city program Operation Phoenix.
Jenkins said Thursday that Nylah's death should serve as a call to action to end violence once again.
“On Sept. 12, we suffered. On Sept. 22 we take a stand and we smile,” Jenkins said. “We will take this city back one smile and one hello at a time by doing kindness to another.”

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

San Bernardino arrested Brandon Taray Barnes, 19, in the Monday night slaying of 3-year-old Nylah Franco-Torrez, according to reports. Another 3-year-old child and her 21-year-old pregnant mother were severely wounded in the attack.

Police arrested the man after a foot chase Wednesday night in the neighborhood where the shooting occurred. San Bernardino Police Lt. Gwen Waters says a tip led police to the suspect.

“He had been identified as a subject, gang unit officers attempted to contact him, he ran from them, [there was a] foot pursuit, he was arrested and it was determined to be him,” says Waters.

She says there are no other suspects at this time. Waters says Barnes was known in the community, was a suspected local gang member, and may have been at risk out on the street.

“Oh, I think he was highly at risk from the community," says Waters. "You don’t kill a child in the community and not expect retaliation from the community. And he was arrested within two blocks of the shooting.”

Authorities say they believe the shooting may have been a revenge attack targeting another man who apparently broke up a fight on the street outside the house where the shooting occurred. The young victim’s 3-year old cousin and her pregnant aunt were wounded and remain hospitalized with gunshot wounds. The second toddler shot in the attack is listed in critical condition.

Monday’s attack was one of four shootings across San Bernardino within a 12-hour period. The violence marks an end to more than 60 days without a single homicide in the city.

“We all come together in moments of crisis to solve serious public safety problems, that’s happened here," says San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris. “We promised it would and it has. We are proud of chief Kilmer and the entire department for what they have done to help make this city safe and deliver on our promise to bring the culprit to justice.”

Barnes faces more than 300 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

A man charged with firing into a Southern California house, killing a 3-year-old girl and wounding a pregnant woman and her young daughter has pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder.

Nineteen-year-old Brandon Barnes entered the plea in San Bernardino Superior Court on Friday.

A judge set his bail at $2 million and ordered him to return to court Sept. 26.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Offender ID: 1109341644
Date of Birth: 08/03/1992
Age: 19
Race:
Gender:

Custody Status: In Custody
Location of Offender: West Valley Detention Center

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

04/19/2012

A Superior Court judge ordered a San Bernardino man held for trial at a hearing Thursday in the shooting death of a 3-year-old San Bernardino girl.

Brandon Taray Barnes, 19, appeared for a preliminary hearing before Judge Douglas Gericke in San Bernardino Superior Court. After hearing witness testimony from three police officers and reviewing evidence, Gericke ruled that sufficient probable cause existed to hold over Barnes for trial in the deadly shooting of Nylah Franco-Torrez. Two others were wounded in the incident.

Barnes returns to court April 26 to be formally arraigned on one count of murder and seven counts of attempted murder.

Nylah, 21-year-old La-Donna Howie and Howie's 4-year-old daughter, Justine Aguilar, were in front of their home in the 1300 block of North D Street at 7:40 p.m. on Sept. 12 when a gunman opened fire.

Nylah died minutes later at a hospital. Howie and her daughter survived, but were seriously wounded.

Nyla's mother Jessyca Franco was in attendance at the morning hearing wearing a black T-shirt with a picture of her daughter on it.

"The only thing I have to say is justice will be served," she said following the hearing.

Deputy District Attorney William Lee is prosecuting the case, while Deputy Public Defender Celia Torres represents Barnes.

Prosecutors have said Barnes could face 305 years to life, if he is convicted of the charges. He is being held on $2 million bail at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, according to sheriff's jail logs.

San Bernardino police say Barnes fired on the house in response to a man who stopped him from hitting a woman in the neighborhood earlier that day.

San Bernardino Detective Mike Vasillis testified that he was told by Jerry Howie that he and his wife, La-Donna, were walking back from a store to the D Street house when he saw a man hitting a woman on 13th Street.

"He yelled at the person to stop hitting her," Vasillis said. There was no physical confrontation between the two men.

Howie told Vasillis that he later saw the same man, walk toward the house on D Street. The man walked to the south corner of the property, turned and started shooting, Vasillis said he was told.

"(Howie) said he heard seven to eight gunshots," Vasillis said.

Nylah had been playing in the grass in front of the house, and at least six adults were on the front porch when the gunshots rang out. La-Donna Howie was five months pregnant.

Police arrested Barnes two days later, about two blocks from the location of the shooting. During a lengthy interview with Barnes at the police department, he admitted to the gunfire, they said.

"He said it was him that did the shooting," Vasillis testified. Nylah died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the county death certificate.

Barnes' attorney Deputy Public Defender Celia Torres, questioned Vasillis about the interview with her client. The detective said Barnes received a Miranda warning, a candy bar and water. Vasillis said Barnes' admission came toward the end of the interview.

Detective John Munoz testified about a witness who saw the Howies on 13th Street.

Officer Richard Everett testified about another witness who was on the front porch of the home, heard details of the 13th Street incident and witnessed the shooting.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]