Suspect in deadly Underground shooting faces judge

ATLANTA — During a court appearance Tuesday, the father of a man murdered near Underground Atlanta couldn't keep his eyes off the man accused of killing his son.

Michael Fair glared at Brandon Barnes, 25, when the suspected gunman sat down for his preliminary hearing at the Fulton County Courthouse.

The grieving father then listened to an Atlanta police detective explain how he said he heard Barnes tell someone on the phone during his interrogation that he murdered Mychal Fair, 23, earlier this month.

"I don't remember the exact wording that the defendant used but it was something like 'I killed that guy, I killed that man,'" Detective Scott Bowers said.

Police said Fair was shot and killed earlier this month after he was shopping for clothes for a new job at Underground Atlanta.

Bowers said an unidentified man glared at one of Fair's friends, they got into a verbal altercation and then a scuffle between the two groups was caught on the mall's video surveillance.

Bowers said Fair and his friends left the Underground and Barnes and the unidentified man followed them out.

"Shortly thereafter the defendant pulls a handgun and shot the victim," he said.

Bowers said a witness saw the shooting, alerted officers and Barnes, still armed, was apprehended.

The judge then found probable cause to move the case forward. Fair's father was too distraught to speak afterwards.

His attorney said the fight isn't over.

"And we're going to make sure justice is served and we're to make sure that this never happens to anybody else," said attorney Marwan Porter.

The defense claims the shooting was in self-defense. And, it believes it was racially motivated.

The public defender, Stanley Constant, said Fair, who is bi-racial, hurled racial slurs at Barnes, who is black.

Prosecutors said there is no evidence race played any role in the altercation or the murder.

WSBTV