Authorities searching Western Mass. towns for alleged Connecticut shooting suspect

BLANDFORD, Mass. — Police searched two towns in Western Massachusetts for a man accused of a violent crime in Connecticut Thursday night.

Massachusetts State Police say they deployed numerous personnel and units in the towns of Blandford and Russell just before 8:00 a.m. Friday morning to search for Darnell Barnes, 22, of Hartford, Connecticut.

Barnes is a black male, 5′5″ tall with a slender build who previously lived in Bristol, Connecticut and is considered to be armed and dangerous, according to authorities.

He is accused of shooting a victim multiple times in West Hartford, Connecticut, and law enforcement officials from the Constitution State believe Barnes could be in the Blandford or Russell area.

Authorities are urging residents in both towns to keep their doors locked and to be aware of their surroundings.

State Police say they found the black Nissan Pathfinder with New Mexico plates that Barnes was driving on the westbound side of the Pike in Blandford, near mile marker 31.6. Officers approached the car and saw that no one was in it. No guns were found in the vehicle either, so police canvassed the wooded area around that area of the Pike.

The search yielded no results and crews have cleared the area. Officials say they will continue to work with West Hartford Police on the investigation to find the suspect.

Anyone with information about Barnes’s whereabouts is asked to call police.

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