A nearby family said they gave Austin Fisher water and an Uber before learning he was wanted in three deaths.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Westside family said they unknowingly helped a man later accused of killing three people after he appeared near their home hours after a deadly stabbing on Exodus Way.
The encounter added a new detail to the investigation into the deaths of Edwin Barber, 49, Savannah Barber, 27, and Shad Cole, 37. Police said Austin Fisher, 30, was arrested after a SWAT standoff and charged with three counts of second-degree murder. Family members said Fisher knew the victims and had lived with them.
Bob Isacs said Fisher came to his home after the early Thursday attack and asked for water. Isacs said Fisher appeared scared but calm and spoke about violence that had happened nearby. “He was just a calm kid,” Isacs said. “He was scared. You could see it in his eyes.” Isacs said his family did not know Fisher was the suspect police were seeking. His wife prayed over Fisher, and a relative paid for an Uber ride so Fisher could go see his mother.
Police said the first call came around 3 a.m. Thursday, when someone reported a man knocking on a front door on Exodus Way. Officers found Edwin Barber wounded on a porch and later learned he had run there after being stabbed at his home. At Barber’s house, officers found Savannah Barber in a bedroom and Cole on the porch of another home. Savannah Barber and Cole died at the scene, while Edwin Barber died at a hospital.
Isacs said he later saw news reports and realized the man his family helped was wanted in the case. “I called the police and told them we gave the killer an Uber ride,” Isacs said. Investigators said tips from the community helped them locate Fisher at a motel in the Normandy Village area. Police said Fisher refused to exit when the SWAT team arrived, and officers arrested him after a standoff that lasted several hours.
Relatives described the three victims as a connected family group, with Savannah Barber at the center of much of the grief. Amy Barber, her mother, questioned whether the violence began from a simple argument. “This seems more than an incident with them two arguing,” she said. Kristen Green, a longtime friend of Savannah Barber, said the deaths were difficult for the family and friends to process. Police have not released a detailed motive.
Fisher was ordered held without bond after his first court appearance Friday. His next court date is set for June 18 as prosecutors and police continue the case.
Author note: Last updated May 30, 2026.