CLEARING THE AIR

Jazmine Barnes' Family Apologizes for Hate Crime Claim

“The thing that’s bothering me is that someone was falsely accused,” Barnes' great aunt said.

The great aunt of Jazmine Barnes, the 7-year-old Houston girl who was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting last month, apologized on behalf of the family for initially accusing the wrong man of the crime, local news station KPRC reports. “We apologize. We apologize,” Mary Buffin said. “The thing that’s bothering me is that someone was falsely accused.” After the shooting, Barnes' sisters and mother, LaPorsha Washington, initially described a white man driving a red truck as the shooter. Washington reportedly said she believed the shooting was a hate crime. Days later, two black men were arrested in connection with the shooting. The man Barnes' family described was reportedly driving behind Washington vehicle, and the Harris County Sheriff's Office believes he drove away to avoid gunfire. Buffin said her family attempted to tell activists to “hold off” on the hate-crime claim after the shooting, but a man was reportedly implicated and his family received threats as a result.

CHARGED

Tip Leads to Arrest in ‘Mistaken Identity’ Murder of Jazmine

Tracy Connor