AUSTIN — Two West Side churches are offering a $10,000 reward to whoever can help investigators find the person who shot and killed 55-year-old Tracey Showers Tuesday near her Austin home.
About 9:25 p.m. Tuesday, Showers was sitting in her car outside her home with her daughter, Janea Kitchen, in the backseat. Someone fired shots, said Showers’ husband, Pernell Showers. Kitchen ducked, but her mother was hit in her face and killed.
Police are investigating, a department spokesperson said. No arrests have been made.
Pernell Showers said at a Wednesday news conference he hopes the community remembers her as a leader who cared deeply for others. She worked as a missionary for Greater St. John Bible Church and has provided clothing, food and help to people in need, he said.
“The light that shines so bright in my family dimmed,” Pernell Showers said. “This community will suffer because Tracey is not in it. She spent many years serving the community and tirelessly working to make sure everyone had something.”
Janea Kitchen, speaking through tears at the news conference, said her mother was someone who inspired her and made her proud to be part of the church community.
“She loved her church, her family and anyone she came into contact with,” Kitchen said. “I love you, mom. I’m so proud of you.”
The Rev. Ira Acree said Tracey Showers kept church missions going during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic by giving away food and clothing and providing other church services. He wants her to be remembered by the Austin community as a person who provided hope, he said.
“She saved so many lives and made our church more relevant than ever,” Acree said. “She was one of the people pivotal to keeping these doors open. She risked her life in the middle of a pandemic to help people out.”
This church and another nearby church are pitching in for a $10,000 reward to anyone who can help identify the person who killed Showers.
Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th) said he knew Tracey Showers as a fellow attendee of the church. He said that while he offers prayers and condolences, that is not enough to stem the tide of violence.
“This community will be feeling a tragic loss from this awful violence,” Taliaferro said. “We have to work harder, because families are hurting. Whether it happened in my ward is irrelevant. Our city just needs to be better.”