CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — In an exclusive interview with KRIS 6 News, the family of the man shot and killed by an off-duty CCISD police officer on the city's Westside spoke about why it took so long to be notified of his death.
On Nov. 24,in the parking lot of the Walmart on Greenwood, investigators said the man - identified as 34-year-old Rodney Alan Garcia - had been stopped by the off-duty officer for suspected shoplifting.
Garcia's family told KRIS 6 News that he had gone to the Walmart to pick up his wife Racquel Rodriguez, who worked at the store, for lunch. But she couldn't get off so Garcia headed back to his car.
That's when the CCISD officer approached him and moments later, the shooting occurred.
Garcia's wife said she didn't find out her husband had been shot until the next day and in an unusual way.
"I went to the doctor and I was like I'm gonna call the impound see if my car's there," Racquel Rodriguez said. "Something just told me to call the impound. Everybody kept telling me they could see the back of the car. I couldn't really see if it was my car, so I'm gonna call the impound. They said the car was under investigation. But the only reason I didn't believe it was because they said shootout. He didn't have a gun."
KRIS 6 News also spoke with Rodney Garcia's mother, who said she didn't find out her son had been shot and killed until days later and she still hasn't seen him. She just wants to know what happened.
This is a translation from Garcia's mother, who spoke in Spanish during the interview:
That they explain to me what happened. They know. They have to tell us the reason. They need to tell my attorneys everything. It's justice. I need the truth. Give me the truth and justice for my son.
Richard Nava, a Houston-based attorney who is representing the family, told KRIS 6 News that they will file lawsuits against Walmart and the officer involved on Tuesday, Dec. 3. He also said they still have many witnesses to speak with.
The name of the officer still has not been released at this time and the investigation continues.
This is a developing story, check back with KRIS 6 News for more details.
