The Texarkana area is grieving the tragic loss of two men following a domestic-related shooting on Tuesday morning, May 12, 2026, at Texarkana Aluminum. Officers with the Nash Police Department responded around 6:37 a.m. to reports of a shooting at 300 Alumax Drive in Nash, Texas, located in the parking lot of the aluminum manufacturing facility.
They discovered the bodies of 48-year-old Eddie Ray Hill Jr. of Texarkana, Texas, and 40-year-old Wendell Lane Champion Jr. of Hope, Arkansas. A 37-year-old woman, Candis Jolene Champion, also of Hope, Arkansas, was found injured and transported to a Texarkana hospital where she remains in stable condition.
Preliminary investigation by the Nash Police Department determined the incident began as a domestic dispute between Wendell Lane Champion Jr. and his wife, Candis Jolene Champion, an employee at Texarkana Aluminum. Wendell Champion, who did not work at the plant, confronted his wife in the parking lot. Eddie Ray Hill Jr., a coworker of Candis who had just arrived for his shift, attempted to intervene in the confrontation and was fatally shot by Wendell Champion.
After shooting Hill, Wendell Champion allegedly shot and seriously injured his wife Candis before turning the gun on himself, resulting in his death at the scene. The sequence turned what began as a domestic matter into a murder-suicide that also claimed the life of a good Samaritan coworker. No other suspects were involved, and authorities confirmed there was no ongoing threat to the public or other employees.
Wendell Lane Champion Jr. had a significant prior criminal history. He was convicted of first-degree murder in Harris County, Texas, in 2010 for the 2007 killing of a security guard during a robbery in Houston. He was sentenced to 30 years but was released on parole in 2025. This background has added another layer of shock and outrage to the community response following the workplace tragedy.
Eddie Ray Hill Jr. is remembered by those close to him as a man who stepped up to help a coworker in distress and paid with his life. The loss has deeply affected employees at Texarkana Aluminum and residents across the Texarkana region, which spans the Texas-Arkansas border. Family members and friends of both men are left mourning amid an outpouring of community support and condolences.
The Nash Police Department continues to investigate the incident with assistance from other agencies. As details are finalized, officials have emphasized the domestic nature of the event while urging anyone with additional information to contact authorities. The tragedy has prompted renewed discussions about workplace safety, domestic violence awareness, and parole policies in the region.
