Deadly conduct charge against former Hays County corrections officer dismissed

KYLE, Texas - A deadly conduct charge against a former Hays County Sheriff's Office corrections officer has been dismissed.

On Dec. 12, 2022, Isaiah Garcia shot and killed 36-year-old Joshua Wright while working as a corrections officer for Hays County.

Police said Wright was attempting to escape custody while at a hospital in Kyle.

The investigation into the shooting was reviewed by a Hays County Grand Jury in April 2023. The grand jury considered the possible charges of murder and manslaughter in connection with the shooting of Wright. 

However, after hearing the evidence, the grand jury declined to return an indictment for either of those charges. Instead, they indicted Garcia with the third-degree felony offense of deadly conduct. 

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On June 20, the case against Garcia was dismissed. Before the dismissal, Garcia agreed to a permanent surrender of his corrections officer license and agreed not to seek any license or certification in the future to work as a peace officer, corrections officer or armed security guard.

"This case was dismissed at the request of the Wright family. They communicated their wishes to have the case dismissed after consulting with their legal representatives. After subsequently viewing the body cam footage of the shooting, the family persisted in requesting the dismissal. The reasons offered by the family for their request were carefully considered and, ultimately, found to be persuasive," said Higgins. "We have chosen to respect the family’s privacy and will offer no additional discussion of those reasons. We encourage others to also respect their privacy."