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The father of the 18-year-old killed during a home invasion in Blue Springs last week is speaking out, saying he wants answers about how his son ended up at a stranger's home in the middle of the night.
Allen Barker is remembering his son, Tristan, who was shot and killed by a homeowner June 19 in the 100 block of Little Garden after police said he unlawfully entered the residence.
"He was just a kid," Barker said.
Barker described his son as creative and full of potential.
"He was an artist. He had a big heart, huge imagination, lots of dreams," Barker said.
The family celebrated Tristan's 18th birthday last month. Barker said that day was the last time he saw his son alive.
"Played a lot of video games, messing around, goofing around — it was a fun day."
Barker said his son was high-functioning autistic, and that his mental development was closer to that of a younger child.
"Mentally, he was probably somewhere around 12 (or) 13."
Tristan lived in a nearby group home. Barker said someone from that home believes his son left after his VR headset broke or malfunctioned — a device he described as Tristan's prized possession — and went searching the neighborhood to get it fixed.
"He went and said, 'Hey, this guy gave me an address where I can go get my headset fixed,'" Barker said. "And they said, 'No, we’re not going to do that right now.' They explained to him that there would be nowhere open."
Days after the shooting, Barker said he does not blame the homeowner.
"The homeowner did what he thought he had to do to protect his family," Barker said. "I don't fault him there — I do wish that it was maybe handled differently."
But Barker said he is struggling with what happened at the group home before Tristan left. He claimed someone at the facility heard a door open but assumed it was someone taking out the trash.
"When you heard that door go off, why didn't they check," Barker said through tears. "That would've been the difference, he'd still be alive if they had."
The family has started a GoFundMe to help pay for Tristan's services.
The investigation remains ongoing.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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