After much anticipation and a complex legal journey, bodycam footage from a 2022 incident involving a former Hays County corrections officer and an inmate at Seton Hays Hospital was released, illuminating the fatal shooting that has drawn both attention and controversy. The video release follows the case against former officer Isaiah Garcia being dismissed, reportedly at the request of the inmate's family. Garcia had been charged with felony deadly conduct for fatally shooting 36-year-old inmate Joshua Wright on December 12, 2024, after Wright allegedly shoved Garcia and attempted to escape.
The footage, now public, lacks audio for the first 60 seconds due to what Hays County officials cite as hardware and software issues. However, it captures a series of events where Wright, having left a bathroom, appears to push Garcia before trying to flee, with Garcia subsequently firing the shot that led to Wright's death. According to a KVUE report, the family, having reviewed the footage, pressed for the dismissal of the case.
Garcia, who was originally facing potential charges of murder and manslaughter, was indicted for deadly conduct by a grand jury in April 2023, based on allegations that he fired a gun in the hospital setting, endangering patients and staff. Nevertheless, the case did not advance further. District Attorney Kelly Higgins was quoted in the KVUE article, stating that the Wright family's reasons for seeking dismissal were "carefully considered and, ultimately, found to be persuasive," though no further details on those reasons were shared out of respect for the family's privacy.
The decision to drop charges coincides with Garcia's agreement to permanently surrender his corrections officer license and abstain from seeking work in any related field. While Garcia's legal troubles related to the shooting have ceased, the case has raised questions about the use of force and the processes by which such incidents are reviewed and adjudicated, particularly when the death of an inmate occurs at the hands of a law enforcement officer.
Throughout the ordeal, Wright's family has endured not only the loss of their loved, one but also the prolonged search for answers about the circumstances surrounding his death. As Garcia's indictment for murder and manslaughter did not materialize last year, and the bodycam footage waited in the wings to be released, the Wright family consistently voiced their desire to understand the full story. "They took something from me that can't be replaced, and I just want to know why, why, why did you do this to him," Chris Clark, Joshua Wright’s brother, expressed in an interview with FOX7 Austin. With the footage now public, the narrative of that fateful day in the hospital has come into sharper focus, even as the legal proceedings have come to a close.
