The murder of the 58-year-old victim remains unsolved.
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Apr 22, 2019
On February 25, 2019, Wilbert Barber was fatally wounded at his home in the Rankin district of Pittsburgh, PA.
Barber was 58 at the time of his murder.
News of his death immediately sent shockwaves through the community, who say that the area was “very quiet” and that they weren’t expecting their longtime friend and neighbor to be killed in such a brutal way.
Let’s look at what we know about Wilbert Barber and his murder so far.
1. His friends and family were shocked at his murder.
Wilbert Barber was someone who was considered a good member of his community, and a good friend to all. But most of all, he was very beloved by his friends and family.
When word got out that he’d been murdered, his brother told the local CBS affiliate, KDKA, that he couldn’t believe what had happened.
“I was on my way out of the house,” the victim’s brother said. “My mother had called me and said to go over to the house because my brother had got shot. Then, I called my younger brother, and he said he was on his way over, then he called me and said my older brother was dead, laying on the floor. So, I rushed over there as fast as I could to see what was going on.”
Barber’s mother, Alice, also told WPXI 11 that her son was a good man, which made his murder all the more shocking. “I am definitely going to miss him because it’s like every morning. Every morning he calls me between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. He says, 'Mom are you OK?' and I’ll say yeah and he says, 'I just want to make sure you’re still breathing,’” she said to the outlet.
2. He was shot through his door.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Wilbert Barber was home when he answered the door to his would-be killer. Police were immediately called when the gunshots rang out, but when the police arrived on the scene, Barber was already dead.
A thorough investigation conducted by the Allegheny County coroner revealed that Barber was shot through the door, meaning he didn’t even get a chance to get a look at his assailant.
3. A reward is available for any details leading to an arrest.
According to the Pittsburgh Tribune, since Barber was shot on February 25 of this year, investigators have come up with absolutely no leads, nor do they have any idea where to begin when it comes to investigating the murder.
To date, police have not released any details about any ballistics results, nor have they released any details about any DNA found on the scene — if any.
As a result, the investigators are turning to the public for help.
“A reward of up to $1,000 reward is being offered by Pittsburgh Crime Stoppers in connection with the death of Wilbert Barber, 58, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the torso and was pronounced deceased at his home in the 300 block of Fifth Avenue, according to investigators,” reports the Tribune.
4. Did a bar fight have something to do with his death?
While the police and investigators have made clear that they don’t have a clear motive for Wilbert Barber’s murder, there’s a strong chance that a bar fight he had earlier that night may have something to do with it.
According to the local PIX affiliate in Pittsburgh — WPXI 11 — Barber was at a bar earlier that evening at the Edgewood Town Centre, when a fight broke out. It’s unclear how he was involved in the fight, but police suspect that if one of the other participants in the bar fight followed him home, he — or she — was most likely responsible for his death.
However, no one has come forward with any information about his death, or the bar fight.
Anyone who has any information that can lead to an arrest is invited to call Pittsburgh Crime Stoppers at (412) 255-8477. Information leading to an arrest and conviction could be worth up to $1,000. However, callers can also choose to remain anonymous.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. Find her online at www.bernadettegiacomazzo.com and www.longlivetheuprising.com.