Austin Lee Deweerdt, a 33-year-old man from Tyler, Texas, was shot and killed at his home in the 800 block of Pinedale Place in the early morning hours of May 30, 2022. The confrontation began when 29-year-old Christopher Ryan Henry of Flint, Michigan, came to retrieve Xanax from Deweerdt’s girlfriend. An argument escalated into a physical struggle on the ground; Henry drew a handgun and threatened Deweerdt, who retrieved his own handgun but did not fire it.

Deweerdt was shot multiple times and died. His girlfriend called 911. Henry later turned himself in on June 3, 2022, was booked into the Smith County Jail on a $1 million bond, and was charged with murder; the case was sent to the Smith County District Attorney’s Office. Security footage and witness statements were cited as important to the investigation and reportedly showed inconsistencies in Henry’s account.

Deweerdt is remembered by family and friends as kind-hearted and devoted to hunting, fishing, and his son. Did anyone in Tyler see or hear anything that night that could help clarify what happened?