Barra was charged with armed robbery and aggravated battery after shooting Davies in the leg in 2004. According to reports, Davies was in New Orleans on vacation when two men snatched his girlfriend's purse and the singer gave chase before Barra shot him in the leg.

Davies told New Orleans' Times-Picayune that he was unable to attend court because he was not given enough notice by prosecutors. He reportedly was only told about his need to appear a few days before Thursday's trial. The BBC reports that "Court records showed that prosecutors, the defence and Judge Calvin Johnson agreed on the trial date on 17 May."

This wasn't the first time that Davies was a no-show for court in this case. According to the BBC report, "The case was also dismissed from court in 2005 because Davies was not in court, but prosecutors reserved the right to resume the trial."