Family of woman shot to death after North Austin fender bender speaks out
AUSTIN, Texas - Family members of a woman shot to death after a fender bender last month are speaking out. Meanwhile, Austin Police are still looking for her killer.
46-year-old Teressa Ferguson, who went by Tressa, was heading home from work on Sept. 30.
"A very bright light taken unnecessarily and way too soon," Beth Shackelford, Ferguson's aunt, said.
Austin Police say she was going southbound on I-35 near Rundberg. Around 6 p.m., she was in a minor crash. She pulled over presumably to exchange information, but officers say the suspect in the other car shot and killed her.
"Sometimes I'm angry, sometimes I'm just sad. The hurt doesn't stop," Mary Glisson, Ferguson's mother said.
"When we learned that it was from a fender bender, that was even more devastating, because it was just needless and senseless and could have been, could happen to anybody," Brad Shackelford, Ferguson's uncle, said.
Her family describes her as a kind, free-spirited person who loved traveling and dogs.
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"She had a great sense of humor. Always a big smile, contagious laughter," Beth said. "I just really want everybody to remember that she was our family member, niece, daughter, sister, and this should have never happened, should never happen to anyone."
Police say Ferguson was driving a black Ford Mustang. A gray four-door sedan may have been involved in the crash.
Both detectives and Ferguson's loved ones want witnesses to come forward. "There's got to be lots of people that witnessed, saw something," Shackelford said.
"We genuinely feel like this person needs to be found and needs to be gotten out of society before they can do this again," Beth said.
"He doesn't need to hurt another family," Glisson said.
While Ferguson's family lives in North Carolina, they plan to continue to travel to Austin as the case plays out.
"It is our plan to be here at every court setting and to make sure that the District Attorney's office and the courts know that we're not going to just go away. We want to see them prosecuted to the fullest extent, whatever Texas law will give a killer, that's what we want to see happen," Brad said.
Anyone with any information should contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest.
Ferguson's family says they're thinking about increasing the reward amount.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help with expenses.