On the night of March 27, 2023, at approximately 11:00 PM, Elgin Police Department officers responded to reports of gunfire at 817 South Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Elgin, Texas. Upon arrival, they discovered two individuals with apparent gunshot wounds: 43-year-old Crystal D. Fitzgerald and 45-year-old Reggie W. Smith. Despite first responders' efforts to administer life-saving measures, both victims were pronounced deceased at the scene.
In the immediate aftermath, law enforcement initiated a search for the suspect, described initially as a Black male with a thin build and distinctive blue dreadlocks. The search involved multiple agencies, including the Bastrop and Travis County Sheriff's Offices, Manor Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Lee County Sheriff's Office, and the Austin Police Department's Air Unit. Despite these efforts, the suspect remained at large as the investigation progressed.
Subsequent investigations led detectives to identify 35-year-old Terrence Wayne Lewis as the primary suspect in the double homicide. On March 31, 2023, around noon, Lewis was apprehended by the U.S. Marshal's Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in southeast Austin, specifically in the 6100 block of Fairway Street. He was taken into custody without incident and subsequently booked into the Bastrop County Jail on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony. Authorities indicated that higher charges were likely as the investigation continued.
The tragic deaths of Crystal D. Fitzgerald and Reggie W. Smith have had a profound impact on the Elgin community. Fitzgerald, born on April 25, 1979, in Austin, Texas, was remembered for her love of family, her culinary skills—particularly her famous fried chicken—and her vibrant personality. She resided in Taylor, Texas, with her lifelong partner, Reggie Smith Sr., and was a devoted mother to her sons, Damontae Fitzgerald and Jaylen James.
As the legal process unfolds, the community continues to mourn the loss of Fitzgerald and Smith, seeking justice and healing in the wake of this senseless act of violence. The Elgin Police Department has urged anyone with additional information related to the case to come forward to assist in the ongoing investigation.
