Naman Shrestha
While most of NBC’s ‘Dateline: Sound and Fury’ and ‘The Real Murders of Atlanta: Deadly Turn’ are primarily focused on the murder case of Tiffany Pugh, the wife of a popular DJ, Andre Pugh, AKA DJ Awesome, there is a mention of another famous DJ in Atlanta – DJ Nando. As his murder shared a few connections with that of Tiffany’s, many viewers contemplate the similarities between the two victims and have questions about DJ Nando.
DJ Nando Was a Popular DJ in Atlanta
Born as William Fernando Barnes in Virginia, DJ Nando relocated to the Atlanta area more than 10 years before his tragic demise. After the move, his talents as a DJ were well-recognized, and he quickly became a stable in the hip-hop community of the city. With a great ear for talent, he earned respect within the DJ community and the entire music industry through his unmatched DJing skills and the significant role he played in popularizing the music scene of Atlanta.
An integral member of the local group Coalition DJs since 2008, Nando used to work at some of the hottest spots in Atlanta, including Magic City, Onyx, and Kamal’s 21. Having the influence he had, the DJ helped multiple artists take off in Atlanta, such as B.o.B and Dem Franchize Boyz. He also played a part in making certain songs big in the city — J-Kwon’s “Tipsy,” Rick Ross’ “Hustlin’,” Usher’s “Yeah!”. On the personal front, he had a girlfriend named Shonté Renee and an adorable daughter.
At the time of his untimely and unexpected demise, Nando was known to be working on his debut album. In order to capitalize on his popularity and influence, he was also planning to start his own clothing line. In fact, his brand, Da Army, was in the preproduction stages before he departed from the world.
DJ Nando Died in the Arms of His Partner in the Driveway of their Home
Seemingly in his late 30s, DJ Nando held a lot of power in the Atlanta music scene and had a lot to look forward to, be it on the family front or business front, as mentioned above. But all his plans for the future were derailed on the fateful night of January 14, 2014, when he was ambushed as soon as he returned to his Oak Mill Court home after work. He was confronted by a masked individual who had been waiting for him in the backyard of his house. When Nando arrived in the driveway, the killer shot him once in the head right beside his car at around 3:30 am.
Nando’s partner was inside the residence at the time, but when she heard the gunshot, she rushed outside only to find him in his last moments. One of the neighbors, Cindy Copeland, gave her account of the entire tragedy to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She stated, “I heard a loud bang around 3:30 am. I thought the power went out, so I checked my clock and that wasn’t it. 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.’ 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.”
After the shocking passing of DJ Nando, Coalition DJs, a group he was a part of, released an official statement: “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. 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.”
When the police took over the matter, they believed that it was a case of robbery gone wrong. However, when they learned that all his electrical items and cash were still with him, they ruled out robbery. Nando’s family was quick to offer $10,000 as a reward for anyone who would give them pivotal information about the perpetrator responsible for his murder. A couple of weeks after the death, his friends held a vigil at Club Onyx, where he used to work.
