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Who Was Barney Simms, the Prominent Atlanta Civic Leader Killed By a Shocking Suspect?
Barney Simms, 70, was fatally shot in broad daylight outside his home in the Georgia capital, shortly after he'd dined at a Waffle House.
Atlanta civic leader Barney Simms cultivated personal hallmarks as he went through life. He was a dapper dresser, he sported a walrus mustache, and he was a devoted do-gooder, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The end of his life was tragically stained with violence. On April 9, 2016, Simms, 70, was fatally shot in broad daylight outside his home in the Georgia capital.
The homicide was doubly shocking because of “who Barney was and how brazen it was,” said Jackie Barrett-Washington, a former sheriff for Fulton County, Georgia.
The crime is covered in an upcoming Season 3 episode of The Real Murders of Atlanta, airing Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Oxygen.
Barrett-Washington shared her insights with Oxygen.com about Simms and the case that’s left an indelible mark on the Big Peach.
Who was Atlanta civic leader Barney Simms?
Born in Florida, Simms began his career in public service and community development in Atlanta in the 1970s. He had a knack for bridging gaps between different groups.
One of Simms’ most notable achievements was his leadership role with the Atlanta Housing Authority. Simms helped establish mixed-income communities.
“He advocated for affordable housing and a reimagining of what public housing... should look like, and what those communities could feel like,” Barrett-Washington told Oxygen.com.
Simms also served on the board of a victims rights organization in Atlanta, and was president of his neighborhood association, according to an obituary. He was a longtime member of Antioch Baptist Church North.
Barney Simms dined at Waffle House before being shot
“Barney Simms was comfortable in any setting,” said Barrett-Washington, who encountered him during her election campaigns and at other events.
“He could eat dinner at the Ritz-Carlton,” she told Oxygen.com, “and breakfast the next morning at the Waffle House.”
Simms had actually dined at Waffle House with a teenage male shortly before his murder. After eating at the comfort-food chain, Simms returned to his southwest Atlanta home, where he was shot twice in the back, Patch.com reported.
Atlanta police officers found Simms’ body in his own front yard. His front door was open and his wallet, car and a television were stolen, according to the Patch report.
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Searching for a motive for Barney Simms’ murder
The incident highlighted issues of violence and crime that Simms had addressed in his career.
Police were scrambling to find a motive, and a resolution, quickly in this high-profile homicide. Barrett-Washington said authorities had to figure out: “Was this a robbery? Was this retaliation for his role in closing down some liquor stores or some nightclubs?"
Surveillance video from the Waffle House gave the Atlanta Police Department valuable leads as “they traced Barney’s steps backwards,” Barrett-Washington told Oxygen.com.
Authorities shared footage through the media, leading to the identification of the teen with whom Simms shared his last meal. “The fact that the APD involved the public so quickly was a great help to them because relatives of the suspect recognized him,” she added.
In criminology classes Barrett-Washington has taught at Spelman College, the motives behind brutal homicide has been a topic of discussion.
Why was Simms killed? “Money,” Barrett-Washington told Oxygen.com. “Greed.”
Find out more about Barney Simms and the homicide on The Real Murders of Atlanta, airing Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Oxygen.
