Detectives: Glock casings found at downtown shooting scene, Glock found at White's home

An Austin police detective testified on the third day of the murder trial of De'ondre White that authorities found eight shell casings at the shooting scene from a Glock semi-automatic pistol.

White, a Killeen resident, is accused of killing 25-year-old Douglas Kantor in a downtown Austin shooting that injured 13 other people on June 12, 2021. Police said a Glock handgun was found at White's house when he was arrested.

Detective Danny Fernandez testified Thursday that investigators searched the entire 400 block of East Sixth Street for bullet casings. The eight shell cartridges discovered were all found close to each other on the sidewalk and street, he said.

Defense lawyer Russ Hunt asked Fernandez if it was possible that investigators didn't find some of the casings.

"Is it always the case that every cartridge casing is discovered at the scene?" asked Hunt. "No," said Fernandez.

Hunt then said that other witnesses had testified that another teenager from Killeen, Tyshawn Degrate, told them he had fired his pistol at the scene. Degrate initially was charged with deadly conduct in connection with firing his gun that night, but the charge was dropped after evidence showed he didn't fire it, Fernandez said.

Fernandez also said he interviewed Killeen teenager Jeremiah Tabb, who was seen on a video from Sixth Street with De'ondre White on the night of the shooting. Tabb initially was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but that charge also was dropped after evidence showed he wasn't the shooter, Fernandez said.

Police were able to find White through Tabb's Instagram account, the detective said. White was arrested on June 24, 12 days after the shooting during a SWAT standoff at a Killeen house.

Killeen police Detective Matthias Smith said officers found a Glock handgun under a mattress in the Killeen house where White was arrested. The weapon was in a gun case that also contained an extended magazine with 20 bullets in it, said Smith.

A witness later testified Thursday that he was living at the Killeen house with his ex-wife, her sister and the sister's two children when White was arrested.

Dennis Hudson said his ex-wife's cousin arrived with two friends on June 21 needing a place to stay. The cousin had two friends with him, including one whom Hudson said he only knew as "Twin." "Twin" was later identified by police as De'ondre White.

More: Witnesses give conflicting testimony on how many guns fired in Sixth Street shooting

Hudson said he didn't own any guns and didn't know there were guns in the house until police found the Glock handgun and a rifle. The handgun was found under Hudson's mattress, said prosecutor Jean Sullivan.

"Did you know it was underneath your mattress?" she asked Hudson. "No," said Hudson.

Hudson also said he didn't know there was a warrant out for White's arrest before the SWAT team arrived.

One of White's friends, Nakera Huett, testified Thursday afternoon that she was standing on a sidewalk on Sixth Street with White and someone she knew as "J.T." before the shooting. She said she heard shots fired in front of her but never saw White with a gun.

Huett had taken the witness stand earlier on Thursday morning but said at that time she couldn't remember anything that happened on Sixth Street. Sullivan asked her if she wanted to watch in court a video of an interview that Huett had with police, but she refused.

When she returned to the witness stand in the afternoon, she said she had watched outside of the courtroom a video of an interview between herself and the police to refresh her memory.

More: Trial begins in 2021 deadly Sixth Street shooting case; suspect pleads not guilty

Sullivan said Huett received a text message from a friend on June 14 that said someone had died in the shooting. The text was shown in court. Huett then sent a text message to White indicating he needed to cut his hair, Sullivan said. The message, also shown in court, read, “Dem dreads gotta go bro bro.”

Sullivan asked Huett why she sent that message. Huett did not answer Sullivan’s question but said, “Maybe it was a different conversation.”

Another witness, Carlos Martinez Latimer, said he went to Sixth Street with White and Tabb, who both had guns. Latimer said Degrate, who he knew, approached him and his friends on Sixth Street. He said he felt threatened because he could see Degrate playing with a gun in the waistband of his pants. He said he knew Degrate because Degrate had wanted to hang out once with Latimer and his friends and they turned him down.

Latimer said he then heard seven to eight shots ringing out. Latimer said he didn’t see White, who was standing beside him, shoot a gun, and that he also didn't see Degrate pull out his gun. But Latimer said that when he returned to an apartment in Killeen with his friends, that White was watching the news and seemed nervous.

Latimer said that’s why he then knew White was the shooter.

Sullivan, one of the prosecutors, then asked Latimer if he remembered telling police that he thought White shot his gun because White didn't want to die and was trying to protect his friends. “Yes,” said Latimer. “Did you also say that Dre (White’s nickname) let out all those rounds for no reason? You thought eight rounds was too much,” said Sullivan to Latimer. “Yes,” said Latimer.

Sullivan also asked Latimer if he knew that Tabb was trying to sell White’s gun after the shooting. Latimer said he found out about it because Tabb had the gun at Tabb’s house.

“Did that strike you as odd,” Sullivan asked Latimer. “Yes, it’s a dumb move because that was the weapon,” responded Latimer.

Latimer said he left for Puerto Rico after the shooting because he didn’t want to be called a snitch. He said he later ended up talking to police, who called him in Puerto Rico, and later he returned to Killeen. He said he never gave police White’s name but described what White was wearing during the shooting.

Degrate testified Wednesday that he had gone to Sixth Street with Mahkaylen Jackson and other friends when a person he knew only as "J.T." said something aggressive to Jackson.

Degrate said he didn't know that J.T. and Jackson had had a previous disagreement. Degrate said he threw his hands up, which caused his pants to slide down and expose a gun he was carrying in his underwear. He said he then pulled up his pants and tucked his shirt but did not pull out the gun.

The shooting was the worst mass casualty event Austin had seen in nearly a decade. The shooting happened about 1:25 a.m. June 12, 2021, in the 400 block of East Sixth Street which was particularly busy because of the Republic of Texas motorcycle rally.

White, 20, of Killeen has been charged with murder, a first-degree felony, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony. He faces up to 99 years on the murder charge and up to 20 years on the assault charge.

Prosecutors have said they had evidence to show that White was the sole shooter and that he fired eight times at a group of people with whom he and his friends had an ongoing dispute. White's attorneys have argued that he was retaliating against a group of people who had pulled a weapon first.

More: Authorities seek new gunman, drop charges against two teens in the Austin Sixth Street shooting

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Gun shell casings could tie De'ondre White to Douglas Kantor's murder