Austin Arboretum shooting: Friends remember woman who was shot, killed

AUSTIN, Texas - Friends of a woman who was shot and killed at the Arboretum in late August said her death has been felt around the world.

"Everybody always said I’ll never forget her smile," Laura Jauregui’s friend Julie Martin said.

Police said 38-year-old Tang Kang Chiang shot and killed Jauregui, shot another person, then turned the gun on himself in the Teapioca Lounge at the Arboretum.

"That was like being hit by a wall, it’s like you can’t even process that, it’s just too impossible to believe," Martin said.

Martin said Jauregui was supposed to be on a retreat with her in Greece, but Jauregui had a minor medical procedure and the doctor told her it probably wasn’t best to travel yet, so she stayed in Austin.

"I sent her a message on the Thursday afternoon just saying what time do you want to meet up on Saturday, and she never wrote back."

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Martin said it’s now time to write and share about Jauregui’s life.

"Who will keep her stories? I think that’s our job," Martin said.

Martin said they were kindred spirits and traveled together.

"Her and I met up in probably, I don’t know, like 10 different countries and 25 different cities," Martin said.

Jauregui knew and touched many people’s lives around the world.

"Every corner I turned there was somebody else to share a story with," Martin said.

Martin said Jauregui embraced living life to the fullest.

"If there was something she wanted to do, she just did it and figured it out along the way," Martin said.

She said others should take a page out of her book.

"If you want to go out there and try something and experiment with something and be bold with your life, it’s possible," Martin said.

The Teapioca Lounge at the Arboretum has reopened since the shooting.