Tristan Montgomery Smith was 23 and described as a kind, selfless young man who kept his family close. A 2018 Halls High School graduate from Powell, Tennessee, he was studying theater at Pellissippi State Community College and planned to travel abroad. Tristan’s family had already lost two brothers, Samuel and Shawn.

On the morning of December 22, 2022, Tristan was working at the Rural King in the Halls Crossroads area of Knoxville. Around 10:40 a.m., he approached a man who appeared to be shoplifting ammunition and bungee cords. Surveillance footage shows the man running out an emergency exit and Tristan following; the man then shot Tristan and fled in a car. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office launched a large search that led to the arrest of 18-year-old Larry McBee Jr.

Does anyone have memories of Tristan, the store that morning, or the area around Halls Crossroads that could add context to what happened?