DJ Nando, an Atlanta-area producer born William Barnes, was shot and killed in front of his home on Tuesday morning, it was reported.
He was killed outside his home in Clayton County, Georgia, according to AJC.com.
It was unclear why Barnes, 38, was shot.
Neighbor Cindy Copeland said she heard a “very loud bang” at around 3:30 a.m.
“I thought the power went out, so I checked my clock and that wasn’t it,” Copeland told the paper.
“But what grabbed my attention about 4 o’clock was a hysterical woman, on her phone, walking up and down the street, yelling, ‘my baby, my baby,’” she added. “After listening to her, I realized, there’s five or six police cars out here, and that’s when I started realizing something very serious has happened down our street here.”
Xavier Hargrove and Nick Love, who head the Coalition DJs, issued a statement about his death.
“Today we’ve lost not only a great talent and DJ, but our friend and brother . Nando had a great ear for talent and was highly respected within the DJ community and the music industry at large.. DJ Nando played a huge role in the success of Atlanta’s thriving music scene, and was a constant “go to” for labels and artists trying to get their music to the masses,” the statement reads.
They added: “We’re not engaging in speculation, as we await the final reports from authorities, and ask that you join us in honoring his memory by doing the same. In the coming days we ask for your continued prayers for DJ Nando’s family , friends, his business partner AB and our organization as we work to process this senseless tragedy.”
Hurricane Dave, who is the program director at HOT 107.9, described Barnes as “well respected” among local artists. Barnes, he added, “broke a lot of records” for recording artists in the area, Fox reported.
Police are still searching for suspects.
