NCAVP mourns the death of Antonio Barnes in Beltsville, MD

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NCAVP mourns the death of Antonio Barnes, a black man of 27 years, who was found stabbed in the parking lot of his apartment complex in Beltsville, MD on March 14. Barnes lost his life at the hands of his boyfriend, Canaan Peterson. According to media reports, police were responding to a welfare check call and discovered Barnes injured on the sidewalk. He succumbed to his injuries a few hours later at a nearby hospital. On April 13, police charged Peterson with first-degree murder and other related charges.

His younger sister, Destiny Barnes, described Antonio as her best friend who fought to change his life “fighting and going through gangs.” He was a Washington D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC), worked with the Board of Elections, and was a dedicated community advocate.

LGBTQ people deserve and have the right to identity affirming resources around intimate partner violence. If you are or someone you know is experiencing violence in your relationship or from an ex-partner, reach out for help and support. NCAVP is here to help you find local resources and to help you if you experience barriers to accessing support.

A GoFundMe account has been created to help the Barnes family with funeral expenses. We send our condolences to Antonio Barnes’ family and loved ones.

We know it can be hard to read these reports of violence against our communities. If you need support in these difficult times, call our 24-hour English/Spanish bilingual hotline at 212-714-1141.

NCAVP works to prevent, respond to, and end all forms of violence against and within lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and HIV-affected communities. NCAVP is a national coalition of local member programs and affiliate organizations who create systemic and social change. NCAVP is a program of the New York City Anti-Violence Project.