Derrick FatBoi Armstrong, a 29-year-old African American man, was shot and killed in the early hours of August 30, 2019, at Waller Creek Park near Sabine Street and West Sixth Street in Austin, Texas. He was found with multiple gunshot wounds, taken to Dell Seton hospital, and pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Witnesses say the confrontation began when Armstrong bumped into a man identified as Ronnie Joe Hardeman, then 19. Hardeman reportedly left, returned minutes later wearing a black hoodie, and continued arguing with Armstrong before allegedly producing a handgun and shooting him six times in the chest. Hardeman fled north toward the creek.

The Austin Police Department identified Hardeman as the primary suspect; witnesses reportedly identified him in a photo lineup using images from his Facebook account. He was charged with murder, given a $200,000 bond, and later arrested by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in Killeen, Texas, then booked into the Travis County Jail awaiting trial. Armstrong’s mother, Sharon Johnson, spoke about her grief and urged the community to work to stop gun violence.