On August 26, 2023, 28-year-old Austyn Lee Barber was fatally shot in his Fernley, Nevada home. The incident occurred around 6:17 p.m. when deputies and medical personnel responded to a reported shooting at 1680 Andy Way. Upon arrival, they found Austyn with a single gunshot wound to the chest. Despite life-saving efforts, 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.
She claimed that Austyn had broken into her home and attacked her, prompting her to shoot him in self-defense before fleeing to a neighbor's residence. However, investigations by the Lyon County Sheriff's Office, in collaboration with Washoe County Sheriff's Office forensic experts, revealed that both Austyn and Jaime had legal rights to be inside the residence, as they were still married and in the process of divorcing. Authorities found no evidence supporting Jaime's claim of being attacked or that her life was threatened in a manner justifying the use of deadly force. Consequently, Jaime was arrested and booked into the Lyon County Jail on charges of open murder and battery with a deadly weapon.
Austyn is survived by his father, Robert Barber; mother, Theresa Cortes; stepmother, Jessie Barber; grandmothers, Sandra Cortes, Ellie, and Gail; grandfather, Bob; aunts, Jaeda Cortes and Tracie; uncle, Javier Cortes; cousins, Nick, Chris, and Oscar; niece, Skylar Carter; and sisters, Savannah Barber and Morgan Barber. He was remembered in a memorial service facilitated by Turning Hearts, where family and friends paid tribute to his life and legacy.
