Austyn Lee Barber, 28, was fatally shot at his Fernley, Nevada home on August 26, 2023. Deputies and medical personnel responded about 6:17 p.m. to a reported shooting at 1680 Andy Way and found Austyn with a single gunshot wound to the chest; he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The initial report came from 44-year-old Jaime Barber, who identified herself as Austyn’s estranged wife and said he had broken into her home and attacked her, prompting her to shoot him in self-defense before going to a neighbor’s residence. Investigators from the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, with Washoe County forensic assistance, found both had legal rights to be in the residence and say there was no evidence supporting Jaime’s account that she had been attacked or that deadly force was justified. Jaime Barber was arrested and booked on charges of open murder and battery with a deadly weapon.

Austyn is survived by his parents, Robert Barber and Theresa Cortes; stepmother Jessie Barber; grandparents Sandra Cortes, Ellie, Gail and Bob; siblings Savannah and Morgan Barber; and extended family including Jaeda and Tracie, Javier Cortes, cousins Nick, Chris and Oscar, and niece Skylar Carter. A memorial service was held through Turning Hearts.