(dramatic music)
- In atlanta, we had all these titans
And giants of the civil rights movement.
- Barney simms was one of atlanta's
Great, great contributors.
He had a real passion for the city and its people.
Barney believed that everyone should have a voice.
He was just as apt to help
A young teenager who needed mentoring,
As he would the mayor for the city of atlanta.
(tense music) (gunshots fire)
- He's been shot at least twice in the back.
- When I first heard, I was shaken.
Who would have done this?
- Barney simms was murdered outside of his home.
- I had known barney for almost twenty
Of my 30 years in law enforcement,
And so I was devastated.
- He was someone trying to make the city a better place.
You would never imagine a violent situation
To occur in his life.
That'd be the last way you think he'd go.
- [brett] did barney have enemies?
- [clint] perhaps barney crossed the wrong people.
- [brett] there is video surveillance
Of barney simms and a second individual.
- We realized that he had barney simms' driver's license.
- No one knew who this young man was.
What does he have to hide?
- He's got a criminal record
And now police have to ask themselves,
"is this our guy?"
(dramatic music)
(tense music)
(emergency sirens wail)
(moody music)
- [narrator] with a rich history of its prominent citizens
Leading the way and fighting for societal justice,
Atlanta has long served as the center
Of the american civil rights movement.
- In the city of atlanta,
There is this mystical thing called the atlanta way
Where since the time of the civil rights movement,
We have come to understand
The notion of inclusion in this city.
- Growing up in southwest atlanta,
We had all these titans
And giants of the civil rights movement.
My father, his name was leon hall.
He was the youngest member of dr. King's staff
And also he was great friends
With congressman john lewis,
Who I succeeded in the us congress.
- And so when you see people
Like shirley franklin being elected mayor,
Keisha lance bottoms following her a few years later,
It's worked. The atlanta way continues to work.
- [narrator] but for one of these iconic leaders
In the empire of the south,
His historic run as a change maker
Would come to a sudden, tragic end.
On April 9th, 2016,
Operators receive a panicked 911 call
From the bonnybrook neighborhood,
An affluent subdivision in southwest atlanta.
- Bonnybrook is a well-kept, decent neighborhood
That has larger manicured lawns, bigger houses,
A community with neighbors
That are taking care of each other
And looking out for each other.
The caller indicates that she heard
A couple of gunshots about three o'clock that afternoon,
(gunshots fire)
Looked out, didn't see anything,
And then further inspection at 5:30,
She notices a body on the border in her front yard.
(sinister creepy music)
- Shortly after that,
Uniformed police officers arrived on scene
And they found an elderly gentleman
With his upper torso in the bushes,
Separated by the dividing edge of the house.
(tense music)
- Individual is late sixties, 70-year-old male.
He's been shot at least twice in the back.
- [narrator] as responding officers approach the victim,
They immediately recognized the icon
Laying in front of them.
- Police officers were able to determine
That the victim was in fact barney simms.
- [narrator] 70-year-old barney simms
Is a legendary community leader,
Civil rights activist
And the retired senior vice president
Of the city's housing authority.
- I had known barney for almost twenty
Of my 30 years in law enforcement at that time,
And we had served on a couple of boards together
Over the course of my career, and so I was devastated.
- Barney simms was atlanta's gentleman.
I knew barney simms.
He had a real passion for
The city of atlanta and its people.
He kind of cut his teeth
Along with atlanta's really political elite,
But he just believed in trying to uplift
People who had lesser than him.
- [narrator] besides being a prominent player
In the city's civic matters,
Barney simms also assumes the role of mentor
For anyone, young or old, who sought his guidance.
- Barney simms went out into the community,
Mentored the children, and mentored adults, too.
If you talk to people, they'll tell you,
He taught you in the right way.
He led in the right way.
- He was just as apt to help a young teenager
As he would give counsel to the mayor
For the city of atlanta.
Barney simms worked tirelessly
To improve people's lives and the city as a whole.
- [narrator] the 911 caller informs officers at the scene
That barney simms is her neighbor,
And his body was found between her property and his.
Police immediately notice
That the front door to barney's house is wide open.
- Uniform officers obviously
Are directed at that point to secure the house,
Make sure there's no additional victims in the house
Or suspects.
Once we have the crime scene secured,
They call the homicide investigators to the scene
And the medical examiner investigators as well.
- [narrator] the medical examiner
Begins her preliminary assessment of the victim's body.
- The medical examiner's examination revealed
That barney simms had been shot twice in the back.
- [keith] the medical examiner found no defensive wounds.
- There's no blood spatter on the body
That would indicate that the shooter
Or shooters had been injured
And their blood is transferred to the body.
The medical examiner says the position of the body
Would indicate that the individual was running
And trying to get as much distance
Between himself and the shooter,
And even find some kind of cover
With going through the bushes.
- [narrator] the victim is casually
Dressed in black leisure wear.
On the ground lies a red baseball cap,
Which appears to have belongs to the victim.
And in his jacket pocket,
The police discover his locked cell phone.
(tense suspenseful music)
- We canvassed the crime scene
Looking for physical evidence.
Here, we found two spent nine millimeter
Shell casings in the grass,
Which would indicate that the firearm
Was in the front lawn when it was fired.
- Our crime scene units,
They took the shell casings and dusted them for prints.
We got negative results on the shell casings.
- We had barney simms,
An elderly man who was shot in the back.
Who would want to take his life?
Someone who worked so diligently in the community,
To do so much for so many.
Why had he been killed?
- [narrator] as csi gathers evidence,
Homicide detectives interview the 911 caller,
Barney's neighbor lou merrill gray.
- Ms. Gray indicates that about 3:30 pm,
She hears a couple of gunshots.
She looks out, doesn't see anybody running,
Doesn't hear anybody screaming.
And if you just hear a couple of gunshots
And you don't hear anybody scream,
Then maybe it was just somebody test firing a gun
Or shooting a squirrel, whatever.
She goes about her business
And then at 5:30, she looks out at her front yard
And discovers the body of mr. Simms.
So, we surmised that he was shot at 3:30.
- [narrator] while ms. Gray doesn't recall
Seeing anything unusual,
She tells investigators that something of barney's
Appears to be missing from his driveway.
- Mr. Simms' 2006 lexus
Was missing from the scene as well.
- This is a huge clue for us.
Did the killer steal barney's car?
This gives us another avenue to race down,
Looking for a possible suspect.
- So it became extremely important for us at that point
To get a lookout on mr. Simms' lexus
Because evidence could potentially be found
Inside of mr. Simms' vehicle.
- [narrator] detectives immediately notify dispatch
For all units to be on the lookout
For the victim's missing car.
- His front door to his house was wide open
And as you go in,
You're able to tell something's outta place.
There was a folded rug where it appeared
That someone may have, in their haste,
Kicked the rug or turned it over.
- There is a space where a tv had been, and it was gone.
And the soundbar for that tv is laying on the floor.
This indicated right away
That somebody had taken the tv with great haste.
(tense music)
- [narrator] although barney's television has been taken,
Nothing else of value appears to be missing.
- The fact that the tv is missing
And some of the other more mobile,
Expensive items are still in place,
That's indicative of somebody
That's working with great speed and not really thinking.
(dark pulsating music)
His wallet was also missing.
We were unable to locate his wallet
Either on his person or in his home.
So either the wallet was taken or it was in his car,
But it was not on the crime scene.
There wasn't any sign of forced entry,
So either he didn't lock the door when he left
Or somebody followed him home and pushed in,
You know, when he opens, unlocks the door
And the burglary starts at that point.
- We dusted the doorknob leading into the residence
Along with other items inside of the residence,
Looking for a fingerprints or any trace evidence.
We try to find blood evidence
And unfortunately, we just kept running into
One dead end after another.
- [narrator] with the crime scene yielding few leads,
Detectives begin knocking on doors
In barney's neighborhood
In search of witnesses.
- We do a canvass of the neighborhood,
Find out if neighbors were home
(knocking on door)
At 3:30 in the afternoon that day,
If they saw anything, heard anything.
- Also, we attempted to collect
Any surveillance camera footage
That might have captured, potentially,
The suspect either coming to
Or leaving barney simms' residence.
Unfortunately, we weren't able to uncover
Any video at that time.
- [narrator] with no tangible leads
And indications that the murder may have been targeted,
Investigators now must consider the possibility
That barney's line of work
Could have made him some powerful enemies.
- Barney also chaired the license review board
And that related to alcohol licenses
And things of that matter,
So he was also top cop.
- Barney would be a part of decision making
Where it came to closing down certain bars, restaurants.
- So perhaps some people that barney had made angry
By closing down their businesses,
Could be responsible for his murder.
(intense music)
- We all were taken aback,
As barney seemed to treat everybody right.
- Within hours, everybody was outraged
That this atlanta icon had been murdered.
- [brett] we have located barney simms' vehicle.
There was the possibility of fingerprints.
- The discovery of this could really prove
To be a huge break in the case.
(music crescendos)
(tense music)
- [narrator] atlanta pd detectives are investigating
The murder of civic icon barney simms,
Shot to death midday in his front yard.
The team has put out a bolo for barney's missing vehicle
And they now must contact his family
To break the news of his death,
And find out who may have had motive
To kill this titan of atlanta.
- Barney had two children.
His son justin and his daughter natalie
Had to be contacted by
The atlanta law enforcement authorities
To give them notification.
And knowing them as I do,
I imagine that it was just devastating to hear the news
That their father had been murdered,
And in particular, left to die on his own front lawn.
(somber music)
Personally, it was just devastating for me
To get the phone call
And learn that barney had been murdered.
I was stunned.
I was stunned, because I couldn't imagine
Anybody who would want to hurt barney simms.
- When I first heard about barney's murder,
I probably was like everybody else in the city of atlanta.
I was shaken.
Who would have done this to barney and why?
- We all were taken aback,
'cause barney seemed to treat everybody right.
You would never imagine a violent situation
To occur in his life.
That'd be the last way you think he'd go.
- [narrator] as far back as the early 1970s,
The young barney simms was an important figure
In atlanta activism.
- Barney was working to try and focus the politicians
On why these neighborhoods
That are african american, crumbling?
Why aren't we doing something about that?
- We needed the resources.
I came home and we found the money.
- He was able to accomplish tremendous improvements
In the lives of many of the citizens in our community
When he worked as a senior vice president
For the atlanta housing authority.
- [narrator] simms had recently retired
From his housing authority post,
But he continued to serve on several city boards.
- Barney simms was one of those guys
That you meet him once,
You're never gonna forget him.
You know, his distinctive mustache was his trademark.
- That was part of barney's charm.
He was an upstanding gentleman
Who carried himself respectfully at all times.
Barney never identified openly as gay.
If he was a gay man, he was a very private gay man
And that was his business.
It never bled into his civic life.
If you knew, you knew.
- [narrator] but now the city must come to terms
With the devastating loss
Of one of its most cherished sons.
- [reporter] a community in shock.
- Barney simms was murdered outside of his home.
- [reporter] police say his front door was open,
His lexus gone.
- Within hours, the murder
Broke on the news
And everybody was literally outraged and concerned
That this atlanta icon had been murdered.
Anytime you're dealing with a high profile murder,
There's always that added pressure.
We knew immediately,
The community was gonna demand answers
Sooner rather than later.
- [reporter] dozens of people gathered outside the house
As detectives combed the scene,
Including former atlanta mayor shirley franklin.
- When you start receiving calls
From the likes of shirley franklin and congressman lewis,
Then it kind of underscores
The stature of barney simms
In the atlanta metropolitan area.
- He was part of the infrastructure here.
Like a house, if you knock a beam out of the house,
That was what it felt like,
The feeling of deep loss
Because he was someone trying to make
The city a better place,
So how do you replace someone like that?
(thoughtful piano music)
- But his family, they lost a father
And I imagine that the grief was just overwhelming.
- Whoever did this definitely needs to come forward.
We want this person to be caught.
It's awful to be able to take away a man
That is loved by so many.
- We contact family members,
Asking is there any kind of history with threats
Or if people are, you know, badmouthing him,
Social media type stuff.
- [narrator] barney's family tells investigators
That they have no idea who would've wanted him dead.
They can't think of anyone dangerous he upset,
So detectives do a deep dive
Into barney's storied career,
Paying particular attention
To his period of service on the licensing board.
- Investigators looked into
Whether or not barney had possibly
Crossed the wrong set of people
By denying liquor licenses or closing businesses,
But there was really no evidence to support this idea.
- At this point, there's no fingerprints
Or dna from the crime scene.
There's no possible suspect.
- One after another, we just kept running into dead ends.
- [narrator] now over six hours into the investigation,
Detectives are at a standstill
Until they get a promising call from east point.
- East point police department had received a tip
And they indicated that
They have located barney simms' vehicle legally parked
In an apartment complex in east point.
So now we have the vehicle that we were looking for
(receiver clicks down)
And there was a possibility
That you could get fingerprints out of it
And identify somebody through that.
- Because of all the forensic evidence
That the car could contain,
The discovery of his car
Could really prove to be a huge break in the case.
(driving music)
(tense music)
- [narrator] atlanta police department detectives
Investigating the murder
Of the city's iconic community leader, barney simms,
Have just learned that his missing car
Has been located in the nearby suburb of east point.
- East point is a city
That borders the southern end of the city of atlanta.
It's a couple miles down the road.
East point police department
Contacts the atlanta police department.
They have found barney simms' vehicle.
This is a huge break.
We now have a piece of physical evidence
That we can process for fingerprints, dna.
(siren wails)
- [narrator] detectives race to the location,
The parking lot of an east point apartment complex
Just a few miles from barney's southwest atlanta home.
- Barney simms' black lexus sedan
Is parked in a nice apartment area,
Leading police to believe that whoever took that car
Or whoever parked that car lived nearby.
- Our csi people process the vehicle.
They dust for fingerprints
And look for any trace evidence.
- [narrator] the search yields little
In terms of forensic evidence,
Apart from one crucial item.
- [keith] they found a hat in the back.
It was a chicago bulls ball cap.
- We immediately contact family members and say,
Is this something that is important to barney?
Was chicago his favorite team?
His children say that
That's nothing that barney simms would have,
So the probability is that the hat belongs
To either the person that shot barney simms
Or drove the car away from the crime scene.
So, that hat obviously is sent
To the state crime lab for dna analysis.
- [narrator] as the crime lab processes barney's car
And the suspicious ball cap,
Investigators fan out
And speak with people at the apartment complex,
And they catch a break.
(suspenseful music)
- We spoke to the maintenance guy who says,
Listen, while I'm out here doing my job cleaning up,
I find an empty wallet
And a couple of different items from that wallet.
- [keith] he realized that he had
Barney simms' driver's license among those items.
- [narrator] investigators send the wallet to the lab
To be tested for fingerprints and dna.
- And so at this point we're wondering
If the suspect actually lives in this apartment complex
Because we find the vehicle there
And the victim's discarded wallet.
- [narrator] detectives canvass the rest of the complex
To see if anyone knows why
Barney simms' wallet and vehicle would've been left there.
- Unfortunately, the canvass of the apartment complex
Didn't turn up any new leads or any witnesses
That could have been connected to the car,
Or to any of barney's personal effects
Found there at the scene.
- We are disappointed because
There is no video surveillance
Of the general area where the car is recovered.
- [narrator] now only a few days into the investigation,
As detectives try to make sense
Of why barney's stolen items were left in east point,
They get word that the autopsy results are in.
- The medical examiner was able
To take two nine millimeter projectiles from his remains,
Which was extremely important,
Especially if we ever found the murder weapon
To connect the ballistic evidence.
Barney simms had no defensive wounds.
There was no dna underneath his fingernails
That would've suggested that he fought with his assailant.
(suspenseful music)
It's extremely disheartening.
You had the opportunity to get whatever it was
You wanted to take from him,
But you took that opportunity
To shoot him twice in the back
As he was running away,
Which seems senseless to me.
- [narrator] in order to establish
Who simms had contact with before he died,
Detectives seek access to his cell phone logs
Using a technique in common use
Since the advent of smartphone technology.
- Barney's cell phone was found at the scene,
But unfortunately the phone was locked
And they were unable to access its contents.
- We even got permission from his family members
To use his thumbprint to actually open the phone.
- They get a wealth of information
That will allow the investigators
To actually put together a timeline of events
About who barney called,
And who called barney before
And during the time of his murder.
- [narrator] as detectives begin going through simms' phone,
One particular call from two hours before the murder
Stands out.
- 1:24, there is a incoming call.
It's a short call.
(phone receiver clicks)
We call that phone number
To determine what the conversation was.
The individual answers, we explain who we are.
We told the individual that barney simms had been killed
And we would like to discuss
Whatever was discussed on that phone call.
- And he said his name is kwan bradley.
(tense music)
- Kwan then says that he doesn't know barney simms,
But he would be more than willing
To meet with the police.
He gives us an address to meet,
So the phone call ends
And we do some research on the address,
And the address doesn't exist.
So obviously, it's a red flag almost immediately,
Like somebody is deliberately trying
To avoid any kind of contact with the police department.
- The false address really rose law enforcement's suspicion
About what did this person have to hide.
(dramatic music)
(tense music)
(intense music)
- [narrator] atlanta police department detectives
On the trail of barney simms' killer
Have just spoken on the phone
With a man who ids himself as kwan bradley,
One of the last people simms called
Before he was murdered.
- Police tell kwan bradley, well we wanna rule you out
So we need to meet with you.
He says, sure.
He gives him an address,
But they learn that this address is no good.
- The next step for police
Was to find a way to locate this kwan.
They decide to just trace the number.
When they trace the number,
It actually leads to a dead end
Because this is a burner phone
And no one is picking it up.
So for now, police are unable
To locate this person of interest
And so the trail goes cold.
(sorrowful music)
- [narrator] three days after the murder,
A large crowd gathers for a candlelight vigil
Near barney simms' home.
- Just continue to pray for us.
- [speaker] yes, sure.
- Because we're still confused and shocked.
- It was sad, he left behind a lot of good friends.
All of us was, I think for weeks, in shock.
- [narrator] as the community comes together
To mourn the loss of a local hero,
The citizens of atlanta struggle to process
His sudden violent death.
- I want you to know that I hurt just like you hurt,
- [group] yeah. - Because he was a friend
And an advocate for our community.
- I'm sure we're gonna find the culprits,
And the mayor, all my colleagues on council,
We want to see this person brought to justice.
(tense driving music)
- As days pass, you start to receive
More and more phone calls
About the progress of the investigation.
- Police are really starting to feel the heat
From some of atlanta's most prominent citizens.
So now police are looking at barney's bank records
To see if they can trace his last steps
And his final hours before his murder.
- The bank has got two transactions
Prior to gunshots at 3:30.
The first is a local grocery store at 11:00 am.
So we go to that location
And there is video of barney simms alone,
Purchasing groceries.
- [narrator] detectives then head to the final location
Barney used his credit card before he was killed.
- The day of the murder, about 2:30,
There is another transaction at a local waffle house
And there is video surveillance at the waffle house.
And on that video surveillance,
You can plainly see barney simms and a second individual.
- The individual had on a black jacket
And he actually had a meal there,
At the waffle house, with barney simms.
We believe at this point
That this might have been the last person
That actually saw barney simms alive.
So becomes important for us to be able to identify
Who this individual is.
- Police show the video surveillance footage
To barney's family, but unfortunately,
No one in the family is able to recognize
The person shown in the footage.
- No one knew who this young man was,
So the next step for police
Was to turn to the news media for help.
- We're not sure if he has any involvement
In the homicide at all.
If you recognize this individual,
Please give us a call.
He may have been the last person
Who saw mr. Simms alive.
- The video is uploaded to social media,
"crime stoppers" reward is offered for information
Leading to the identity of the individual.
- Once the video is put out by the media,
Tips start flooding the police department.
(suspenseful ambient music)
One of the tips generated the name
Of 17-year-old eric banks.
- Police start looking into this eric banks fellow
And what they find out,
Is that he has a lengthy rap sheet.
- Mr. Banks actually was involved
In an incident at a marta station.
This was a shooting
Where a nine millimeter was actually used.
- The facts are really starting to stack up
Because a nine millimeter was also used
In the murder of barney simms.
(tense driving music)
- As part of the workup on mr. Banks,
We get into his social media accounts
And we are able to identify
Several photographs of mr. Banks
Wearing a chicago bulls baseball hat.
This is obviously identical
To the baseball hat that was recovered
In the backseat of barney simms' vehicle
When it was recovered in east point.
- [narrator] investigators also believe
That banks could have been
The individual they spoke to earlier
That called himself kwan bradley.
- He's got a criminal record,
He's been found to use the same caliber weapon
That was used in the barney simms case,
And it appears as though his personal property
Was found inside of barney's car.
But more importantly,
We've actually got eric banks identified positively
On the video surveillance footage
With barney simms just before his murder.
And so now police have to ask themselves,
"is eric banks our guy?"
- [narrator] investigators now need to track down eric banks.
- So detectives proceed to last known address of mr. Banks,
An address that's close to barney simms' home.
- We go to that particular location
And meet kevin banks, the father of eric,
And he tells us that his son doesn't live there.
- We show him the video from the waffle house
And kevin banks confirms that that is, in fact,
His son eric banks on the video with barney simms.
- Eric banks' father, kevin banks,
Tells police that his son
Is basically estranged from the family.
He's out on his own.
- [narrator] but just as the team
Is about to leave the banks' home,
The case takes a surprising turn.
(phone rings)
- In a strange twist of fate,
As police are talking to kevin banks,
His son eric banks calls his father.
(music intensifies)
- So at this point,
Police decide they really want to turn up the pressure.
- He said, I didn't kill barney simms.
I didn't kill anybody.
- Investigators searched the bedroom
And found two nine millimeter clips,
Which was consistent with the shell casings
At the crime scene.
- This is a huge point in the investigation,
And then she drops the bombshell.
(dramatic music)
(tense music)
- [narrator] detectives investigating the murder
Of atlanta civic icon barney simms
Have zeroed in on eric banks,
A teenager with a lengthy rap sheet.
As the team speaks with his father,
Banks unexpectedly calls him.
- They immediately request
That he put the telephone call on speakerphone
So that they can hear, and he does.
- He does not tell the son, eric banks,
That the police are there,
But he tells the son, "police are looking for you.
They want to talk to you
About the murder of barney simms."
Eric banks tells his father,
"I didn't kill barney simms.
I didn't kill anybody."
- Kevin tells his son to turn himself in
And to talk to the police,
And the conversation ends shortly thereafter.
- Kevin banks tells us that eric sometimes
Spend time at his aunt's house,
And so he gave us the address.
Investigators at that point go to interview her
About the whereabouts of eric.
- [narrator] investigators head to the home
Of eric banks' aunt tamika,
Where she immediately confirms
That the man in the waffle house surveillance footage
Is eric.
- Tamika tells the detectives
That eric had actually met barney simms
A few days before the shooting incident.
He had been introduced to barney
Through a group of friends
Who were being mentored by barney simms.
Eric wanted to be a part of that group,
He was hoping that somebody would mentor him
To try and get his life back on track.
- Tamika banks admits to police
That after seeing reports
Of barney simms' murder on the news,
She actually brought the subject up to her nephew
And then she drops the bombshell.
- She admits to investigators
That eric had confessed to her
About committing the murder of barney simms.
- This is a huge point in the investigation.
They have a confession.
- The aunt actually allowed us
To search the bedroom where eric normally would stay.
Inside of that particular bedroom,
Investigators found a black jacket
Very similar to the black jacket
Of the individual that was seen at the waffle house.
Investigators also was found two nine millimeter clips,
Which was consistent
With the shell casings found at the crime scene.
{casing clinks in bowl)
- [narrator] but police do not find
The gun that killed barney simms.
- At this point, we believe that investigators have
Sufficient evidence to draft arrest warrants
Charging him with the murder of barney simms.
(sirens wail)
- Our fugitive unit currently
Is in possession of the warrant
And we are are attempting to locate him at this time
In connection with that homicide.
- [narrator] us marshals scour the atlanta area,
While investigators put pressure on banks' family
To ensure he's apprehended peacefully.
- Five days after the murder of barney simms,
We receive a phone call from eric banks' mother.
She indicates that eric is at
Her apartment in southwest atlanta,
And that he is there and is willing to turn himself in.
(dark ambient music)
- [narrator] investigators quickly head over
To banks' mother's house,
Which is less than three miles
From where barney simms lived.
- When police show up
At the mother's house to arrest eric banks,
They're taken aback by the scene.
You have the family crying, hugging him,
Showing plenty of emotion as he's led away in handcuffs.
- [narrator] banks is brought in for questioning
And agrees to speak to investigators.
- Eric banks tells detectives
That he had met barney simms in the neighborhood
Through some friends,
And that they had actually exchanged phone numbers.
They had agreed to meet at the waffle house for a meal.
Eric banks actually shared
His troubled past with barney
And told him that he was trying
To overcome his past criminal life.
- During the interview he was very nonchalant,
Like it was not a big deal.
Very unassuming, very calm.
- [narrator] while banks admits to spending time
With barney the day of the murder
And also to leaving his chicago bulls cap in simms' car,
He stops short of confessing.
- Eric denies any involvement
In the murder of barney simms.
- At this point, the police decide to change up tactics
And they really want to turn up the pressure,
(tense pulsating music)
So they lay out all of the evidence
They have against eric banks.
That includes his criminal history,
The use of the same caliber weapon
That was used in the murder of barney simms.
They have him identified on the video
Taken at the waffle house,
And they have his hat in barney's car.
By now, banks must be sensing
The way the wind is blowing
And he makes a shocking admission.
Eric banks says, "it's true, I shot barney simms,
But it was self-defense."
(dramatic music)
(tense music)
(sirens wail)
- [narrator] the atlanta homicide team
Is investigating the brutal murder
Of civic icon barney simms.
They have tracked down their prime suspect,
17-year-old eric banks,
Who claims he shot barney in self-defense.
- Mr. Banks said, "barney simms came on to me.
He said, you know, 'let's go inside and have a drink.'
And when we got inside, he approached me from behind
And got too close."
- [narrator] banks insists the killing was self-defense
And he is taken to jail to await trial.
Detectives investigate banks' claim,
Despite the overwhelming evidence
That he could not have been acting in self-defense,
Given that he shot simms in the back as he was running away.
- When eric banks makes that assertion,
Certainly we have to examine it.
We always examine past behaviors.
- Barney simms had no history whatsoever
Of any kind of misconduct.
- As a community,
We did not know him as someone who was a predator.
Absolutely nothing in his background suggested that,
Nothing in his history suggested that,
Nothing in his lifestyle suggested that.
That was not who barney simms was.
- We believe that eric banks concocted this story
In an effort to try to deflect
From him actually robbing and ultimately murdering
Barney simms at his home.
- He shot barney simms twice in the back,
While he was running away.
(gunshots fire)
He robbed his house.
He stole his car.
There's nothing about this
That is consistent with self-defense.
- So self-defense doesn't hold
A whole lot of water at that point,
But he does confess to being the individual
Responsible for barney simms' death.
(dark tense music)
- [narrator] eric banks is held without bond
On charges of murder, aggravated assault, and armed robbery.
Two days after banks' arrest, on April 16th, 2016,
Barney simms is laid to rest by a city in mourning.
- Barney's funeral was a testament to who he was.
It was held at barney's home church,
Antioch north baptist church,
And some of atlanta's most influential
Political, business and religious leaders
Were all present.
- Mayor shirley franklin was there.
Congressman john lewis was there.
Both delivered eulogies at barney simms' funeral.
- Barney was a terrific public servant,
Served his community very well.
- He was a wonderful man.
He treated everybody
I know right.
- The service was very emotional.
I knew barney personally and so it was tough.
(somber contemplative music)
- It was not just another day,
Another murder, another funeral.
This was special.
There was a palpable sense of mourning
In the city for barney simms,
Because we had lost a real hero of the people.
- [narrator] as the city of atlanta comes to grips
With the loss of their fallen hero,
Prosecutors prepare for eric banks' trial.
If convicted of felony murder,
Banks could face a term of life imprisonment.
- The evidence was overwhelming against eric banks.
You don't get stronger murder cases
The way that this one came together.
And so, his defense counsel wisely urged him
To take a plea deal in this case,
Of 35 years without the possibility of parole.
- [narrator] for the city of atlanta,
The loss of one of their most beloved sons is incalculable.
- You know, barney's life was one
That was committed to our community.
And unfortunately this case,
The price was his life.
- When you think about this case,
I do get a little pissed off
Because barney was one of the good guys,
And it's just really senseless
And it does make you mad.
- It was just a joy to be in barney's presence.
Helping people put him in a position
Where he encountered this young man
And that encounter is what led to his death.
That is incredibly ironic,
And yet it tells me that he remains true to his calling,
Whatever is the cost.
That's dedication, that's real dedication.
- Atlanta is resilient,
But you know, barney was one for the ages.
There is a hole that exists.
It's hard to replace him.
You know, the city has lost one of
Its great, great, great contributors
And I know I miss him.
(gentle music)
(optimistic music)