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The Hays County Sheriff’s Office released the body camera footage of Joshua Wright being shot and killed in the Ascension Seton Hays emergency room by now former Hays County Corrections Officer Isaiah Garcia.
The incident occurred on December 12, 2022.
“In light of the recent dismissal and conclusion of the criminal proceedings, the Hays County Sheriff’s Office is releasing the body worn camera recording of the incident,” a statement from the Sheriff’s Office said.
The video shows Garcia standing outside of a restroom at the hospital. As Wright exits the restroom, it appears to show him push Garcia when he attempted to put handcuffs back on Wright. Wright then runs through the hospital with Garcia in pursuit until the moment it appears Garcia shoots Wright in the back, though it is difficult to tell when or how many shots were fired without audio.
The video is one minute and 14 seconds long and does not include audio until the end of the video. When the audio begins, Garcia can be heard telling Wright, who was on the ground after appearing to be shot, to “get on your stomach.”
“It is important to note that the released body worn camera recording is in a redacted form to provide for the privacy of other individuals not directly involved in the incident,” the press release said. “In addition, the audio portion of the recording does not begin until a significant portion of the recording has occurred. Such audio has not been redacted; however, the hardware and software for the specific body worn camera worn by the officer results in the video beginning approximately 60 seconds before audio recording begins. The Hays County Sheriff’s Office strives to balance the importance of protecting criminal cases and providing transparency. We believe it is in the public’s best interest to release this specific body worn camera recording at this time. There will be no further comment, discussion, or voluntary release of any additional information on behalf of our office regarding this matter. We also encourage others to respect the privacy of all parties involved.”
In April 2023, a grand jury declined to indict Garcia for either murder or manslaughter; however, it did indict him for deadly conduct, a third-degree felony.
That charge was dropped by Hays County District Attorney Kelly Higgins on June 20. Higgins stated that “this case was dismissed at the request of the Wright family.”
Prior to the dismissal, Garcia agreed to a permanent surrender of his corrections officer license and further agreed not to seek any license or certification in the future to work as a peace officer, corrections officer or armed security guard.
