Austin Dill, a 19-year-old White man from Portland, Tennessee, was known for his warm and generous spirit. According to his family, his ability to light up a room was unparalleled, and he had a unique gift for making others feel valued. His uncle recalled that Austin would give you the shirt off his back, hug anyone he met, and tell them he loved them. A social butterfly who loved cars, especially his Camaro, Austin was remembered by his family and the tight-knit community as an outstanding and fun-loving young man.
On the evening of February 22, 2025, Austin was at a home on Founders Lane in Portland when he was shot once in the midsection with a handgun around 5 p.m. He was airlifted to TriStar Skyline Medical Center where he received multiple blood transfusions, but he succumbed to his injuries the following morning, February 23, 2025.
In the immediate aftermath, witnesses at the scene told police that Austin had accidentally shot himself.
However, the investigation took a different direction after the Medical Examiner’s office officially ruled his death a homicide. This finding prompted investigators to look more closely at the circumstances of the shooting. The case broke open when three witnesses came forward and gave new statements to a detective at the police station, contradicting the initial story. They stated that another person at the home had fired the fatal shot.
Based on the new witness accounts, authorities arrested 20-year-old Trevor Ethan Choate and charged him with reckless homicide in connection with Austin’s death. He was booked into the Sumner County jail.
In July 2026, Trevor Ethan Choate, then 21, stood trial in Sumner County Criminal Court. Over three days, prosecutors presented evidence that Choate had engaged in a pattern of reckless behavior while handling firearms in the weeks leading up to the shooting. On July 15, after deliberating for about 25 minutes, the jury found him guilty of reckless homicide.
The community rallied around Austin's family, holding fundraisers, blood drives, and food drives in his memory. A GoFundMe campaign raised over $19,000 for medical and funeral expenses, and his friends organized a car show to honor his passion. As of his conviction in July 2026, Choate was scheduled to be sentenced on August 10, 2026, facing a sentence of up to four years in prison without the possibility of parole or early release.
