Friend of man killed by Hays County corrections officer reacts to officer indictment
KYLE, Texas - A Hays County Grand Jury indicted a Hays County Sheriff’s Office corrections officer following a deadly shooting in December 2022.
Isaiah Garcia is accused of shooting and killing Joshua Wright.
The Hays County Sheriff’s Office said on Dec. 12, 2022, Wright was receiving medical treatment at Ascension Seton’s Kyle hospital, he tried to escape, assaulted an officer, and ran through the emergency room.
Wright’s family said he was shot multiple times in the back while still in shackles, but that hasn’t been confirmed.
RELATED: Hays County inmate shot, killed by corrections officer after he tried to escape Kyle hospital
"If Josh was in the wrong, and he was trying to escape, and he was doing all this then that's on him. But I just, I've known Josh my whole life, and I've never seen him violent, so when they say that he reached for weapons and tried to attack them but just don't buy it. I got to see that to believe it," Joshua Wright’s best friend Isaiah Galloway said.
The Texas Rangers investigated the shooting and presented their findings to the grand jury, including video of Garcia’s body-worn camera. The family has yet to see it.
"You’d think if somebody wanted to clear their name, and they're in the right and not in the wrong, one of the first things they've been trying to do is prove it with a video," Galloway said.
Family, attorneys speak out after Hays County inmate shot, killed by corrections officer
Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer who represented the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, appeared at a press conference with Joshua Wright’s family to demand the release of body camera footage and surveillance video.
Hays County District Attorney Kelly Higgins said video evidence will not be released until the pending case is resolved.
Garcia is facing a third-degree felony charge of deadly conduct with a possible punishment of two to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
He is no longer employed with the department.
"They’re not charging him with murder which is what he did," Galloway said.
HCSO said Garcia surrendered to authorities and was released on $20,000 bond.