Leroy Tray Smith Jr., 30, was fatally shot in an alley adjacent to The Park on Calder in Beaumont, Texas, shortly before 2 a.m. on September 9, 2023. Off-duty Beaumont Police officers working security at the newly opened bar heard gunfire and found Smith’s body in the alley east of the venue. Witnesses reported the suspects fled in a black vehicle.

Responding officers located the vehicle near Calder Avenue and Interstate 10 North. The driver, 39-year-old Horace Peterson of Houston, attempted to evade but was taken into custody after a brief pursuit. The passenger, 21-year-old Augusta Simon Jr., also of Houston, fled on foot and was quickly captured. Police recovered a discarded handgun that matched the caliber of shell casings at the scene; Simon confessed to shooting Smith and was charged with murder, tampering with evidence, evading arrest, and unlawfully carrying a weapon. Bond amounts were set at $995,000 for Simon and $50,000 for Peterson, who faces an evading arrest charge with a prior conviction.

Smith is survived by his children, parents, siblings, and girlfriend. Funeral services were held September 23, 2023, at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, followed by interment at Live Oak Memorial Park.

If anyone witnessed the shooting or has information about what happened that night, please share tips with investigators.