ARLINGTON, TX — A Tarrant County courtroom delivered justice last week as 17-year-old Julian Howard pleaded guilty to the April 2024 murder of 18-year-old Etavion Barnes, a fellow student at Bowie High School. Howard, who fatally shot Barnes outside the school’s portable classrooms, now faces 40 years behind bars—a sentence that closes a harrowing chapter for the Arlington community while raising fresh questions about school safety and emergency response.
A Day of Tragedy Unfolds
The incident rocked Bowie High School on April 24, 2024, just minutes before the dismissal bell. According to Arlington police reports, Howard fired five shots at Barnes near a portable building on the campus at 2101 Highbank Drive, leaving the senior unresponsive. School resource officers attempted life-saving measures, but Barnes succumbed to his injuries at Medical City Arlington. Howard fled on foot, only to be apprehended near the school’s perimeter shortly after, still clutching a THC cartridge but no firearm—the murder weapon remains unrecovered, police say.
Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells, announcing the plea on March 21, emphasized the gravity of the crime. “This was a calculated act that stole a young life and shattered a school’s sense of security,” Sorrells said. The plea deal, struck in juvenile court, ensures Howard serves his sentence initially in a youth facility, with a hearing on his 19th birthday to determine if he’ll transfer to an adult prison.
Community and School Response Under Scrutiny
The shooting thrust Bowie High School into lockdown for nearly two hours, with students bused to the Arlington ISD Athletics Center for reunification—a process that drew both praise and criticism. An after-action report, obtained by WFAA in August 2024, painted a mixed picture. Successes included swift staff teamwork and the relief on parents’ faces as they reunited with their children. Yet failures loomed large: radio malfunctions, staff departures before all were accounted for, and communication breakdowns with Arlington police hampered efficiency.
“Parents waited too long in fear,” said Monica Reyes, a Bowie mother who joined a chorus of calls for better protocols. The report spurred Arlington ISD to pledge upgrades, including enhanced radio systems and stricter reunification drills—changes set to roll out by fall 2025. A state law mandating armed personnel on every Texas campus, enacted in September 2023, had already placed one school resource officer at Bowie, but questions linger about whether more could have prevented the tragedy.
A Pattern of Violence in Arlington Schools
This isn’t Arlington’s first brush with campus violence. In March 2023, 16-year-old Ja’Shawn Poirier was gunned down outside Lamar High School, his killer also sentenced to 40 years. Then, in October 2021, a shooting at Timberview High School left four injured, with the shooter later receiving 12 years for attempted capital murder. “We’re seeing a disturbing trend,” said Dr. Lisa Carver, a criminologist at the University of Texas at Arlington. “Schools must balance security with a nurturing environment—it’s a tightrope walk.”…