Devin Lavalais

Friends and family remembered Devin Lavalais as a "goofy" and "outgoing" person, a "real stand up dude." The 27-year-old Hispanic/Latino man’s life was cut short in a burst of violence on Thanksgiving Day in San Antonio, Texas.

On the morning of November 28, 2024, a group of acquaintances was at a home in the 600 block of Potomac Street on the city’s East Side, where they had been gathered since the previous day. As one of the men, 20-year-old Michael Moore, was leaving the residence, he unexpectedly pulled out a gun and opened fire. The shooting left four people struck by gunfire.

When San Antonio Police arrived, they found Devin Lavalais and another man, 24-year-old La Vontay La Maurea Drummer-Simms, deceased inside the home. Two other victims were injured and transported to a local hospital for treatment. Investigators quickly located Moore a few blocks away and took him into custody. According to police, Moore admitted to being the shooter. Authorities confirmed that all the individuals involved in the incident knew one another, but a motive for the shooting was never publicly released.

Moore was initially charged with capital murder of multiple persons and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. In April 2026, the case concluded in the 175th District Court. Moore, then 22, was convicted on two charges of murder and one charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was sentenced to two concurrent 50-year prison terms for the murders, along with a 20-year sentence for the assault.