Teen pleads guilty to 2024 murder at North Texas high school, sentenced to 40 years

TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — A teenager pleaded guilty to the murder of an 18-year-old student at Arlington’s Bowie High School back in April 2024.

Julian Howard entered his guilty plea and was sentenced to 40 years in prison, according to the Tarrant County District Attorney.

The shooting happened on April 24, 2024, where police responded to a shots-fired call outside the portable buildings on the Bowie High School campus at about 2:50 p.m. that day. Arlington Police Chief Al Jones said officers found Etavion Barnes unresponsive on the ground and performed life-saving measures on Barnes until medics arrived. 

Barnes was taken to the hospital and died from his injuries. 

The school was placed on lockdown, and police arrested Howard not far from the school. 

An after action report obtained by WFAA in August 2024 detailed the district’s response to the shooting amid parent complaints of long waits to reunite with their children. The after action report outlined what went well and what the district looked to improve.

The After Action report did not examine the shooting itself — just the district’s response. 

It indicated issues with district radios, teachers and staff leaving before everyone was helped and communication problems between the district and Arlington Police.

The reunification site, availability of Spanish speakers, staff teamwork and custodial team all were named as successes in the report. “Looks of relief on parents’ faces when they saw their kids” was named as a success as well. 

A state school safety law that went into effect in September 2023 required armed personnel on every campus in Texas. Bowie High School had one school resource officer, WFAA previously reported, citing the district website.

The bill also compelled school districts to create active shooter plans, health training for certain school faculty and put restrictions on those who carry a gun in school.