A former Fort Smith minister was shot and killed at his Houston home Saturday (May 3).
Investigators said Magnus Hjalmarson, also known as Mike, was getting ready for a garage sale at his apartment complex when he was gunned down.
Some neighbors told Harris County Sheriff's deputies they saw a dark-colored pickup parked in front of his garage shortly before his body was discovered.
At this time, no suspects have been arrested in connection with Hjalmarson's death at the age of 53.
“The sheriff`s office said it`s a murder,” said longtime friend David Yarbrough. “Everybody called him Minister Mike."
Hjalmarson served at Calvary Assembly church in Fort Smith several years ago.
For Jerry Thrasher, Hjalmarson was more than just a youth minister.
“He was just an all-around good guy,” Thrasher said. “He’s somebody that earned my respect on a daily basis, never let you down.”
His friends tells 5NEWS Hjalmarson and his family had just recently moved to Houston.
“It really bothers me that he had to end his life this way,” said Thrasher.
“I just seen some things where he had posted some things Friday about how happy he was,” Yarbrough said. “People just posted things about how much he meant to them.”
As Hjalmarson`s friends mourn, they said they will never forget the man who not only inspired others, but themselves as well.
“He reached out to a lot of kid`s who`s families didn`t go to church,” Yarbrough said.
Hjalmarson also served at Eureka Springs Assembly of God church.