Trial opens in Gary station murder
A trial opened Tuesday for a man charged in a Gary 5th Avenue gas station slaying.
Byron Barnes, now 20, is charged with murder and a gun enhancement in the July 31, 2022 shooting death of Tyrae D. Hayes, 25, of Gary. He has pleaded not guilty.
Authorities alleged Barnes was one of two men who gunned down Hayes inside the station.
Defense lawyer Scott King argued Tuesday there were “identification” issues and no evidence Barnes was “guilty of anything.”
Charges for the second man did not appear publicly available Tuesday. A criminal case for a third man, the driver, was rejected in 2022.
Gary Police were called at 2:50 p.m. July 31, 2022 to a Citgo gas station, 901 E. 5th Avenue, where they found Hayes inside “bleeding profusely” lying on his back near the front counter with gunshot wounds to the head and body, the affidavit states.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office pronounced him dead on scene, according to court records.
Surveillance footage showed three men pull up in a gray Hyundai to the gas station at 2:37 p.m. Two men, including Barnes, get out and go inside, records state. As they pull off, a moped pulls up with Hayes riding as a back passenger.
Two minutes after Hayes enters the station, Barnes and the second man appear on footage walking around the station then following him inside, records state.
The second man appears to pull out a gun, shooting Hayes in the forehead, while Barnes pulls out his own gun and shoots Hayes “several times” in his body, charges state. Both men ran out of the gas station, the affidavit states.
An hour later, the second man, Barnes and the driver were arrested at Marquette Park in Gary after police got reports of the three walking on the beach with guns, court records show.
Deputy Prosecutors Maureen Koonce and Cole Galloway are assigned.
