His remarks came after a video emerged of Barkley being attacked in a Liverpool bar following Everton's 4-2 win over Leicester City on Sunday.
MacKenzie went to suggest that the only people in Liverpool who could earn the kind of money Barkley collects from Everton were drug dealers, with the ill-advised article leading to his suspension from the newspaper on Friday evening.
Kelvin MacKenzie was suspended from the paper after penning a column which labelled Barkley "one of our dimmest footballers", and added, "I get a similar feeling when seeing a gorilla at the zoo".
In added: "Whilst we will not dignify any journalist with a response to appalling and indefensible allegations, the newspaper has to know that any attack on this city, either against a much-respected community or individual, is not acceptable".
Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson duly confirmed that he had reported the article to the police as a racial slur, on the basis that Barkley's father is Nigerian - the connotation being abundantly clear.
The column has since been removed from The Sun's website and it's since emerged that Merseyside Police are investigating whether his comments constitute a racial hate crime.
"There is something about the lack of reflection in his eyes which makes me certain not only are the lights not on, there is definitely nobody at home", he wrote.
Mayor Anderson later tweeted to confirm that he had given a statement to Merseyside Police and had also reported the article to the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
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Apologising "for the offence caused", it said it also was "unaware of Barkley's heritage".
News UK described Mr MacKenzie's comments in his column as "wrong" and "unfunny". The Sun promised a full investigation when MacKenzie returns from vacation.
MacKenzie has said it was "beyond parody" to call his article racist, but Mr Anderson said he was a "parody of a journalist".
Liverpool football club banned reporters from the newspaper from attending matches at Anfield and press conferences at Melwood in February due to its coverage of the Hillsborough disaster.
Mr MacKenzie wrote that "thick and single" Barkley was "an attractive catch in the Liverpool area where the only men with similar pay packets are drug dealers".
This Saturday, 15 April, marks the 28th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.
MacKenzie likened the young English player, who is mixed-race, to a gorilla, leading to accusations of racism. He simply has to be held accountable for these words.
An inquest jury previous year concluded that the 96 who died had been unlawfully killed, and that the behaviour of supporters had played no role in the tragedy.
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