On December 8, 2023, in Killeen, Texas, 53-year-old Tina McGruder and her 75-year-old mother, Deanne McGruder, were fatally shot inside their home on Basalt Drive. Police say Tina called 911 to report her son had threatened and assaulted both women and that he had firearms in the residence. Officers found 26-year-old Louis Lamar Simpson Jr. leaving the home and described him as appearing nervous; inside they discovered both women with gunshot wounds. Tina identified her son as the shooter during questioning before she died.

Simpson Jr. was apprehended at the scene, later admitted to firing multiple times and reportedly told investigators he resented his mother, claiming prior actions including having him incarcerated were mistakes. He was indicted on capital murder charges for multiple victims and is being held in the Bell County Jail on a $3 million bond. Tina, a U.S. Army veteran of about 20 years who had recently earned a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Texas A&M–Central Texas, had begun a second career as a counselor.

Does anyone in Killeen have information about Tina or Deanne that could help clarify what led to this family tragedy?