Starr County J.P. threatens man within hours of son's murder
RIO GRANDE CITY - A Starr County justice of the peace has been charged with aggravated assault after allegedly threatening another man with a handgun following the shooting death of his son.
The judge’s son, Homero Garcia Jr., was standing in a drive way with another man about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday when they were shot multiple times by an unknown assailant on the west side of Rio Grande City, said Police Chief Dutch Piper.
Garcia was killed in the attack, and the other man, Jose Rocha, was taken to an unnamed hospital where he is reported in stable condition.
The deceased’s father, Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Homero Garcia, was arraigned Wednesday morning and released on a $25,000 bond. Garcia was not at his office, and his secretary said she didn’t expect him at work today.
The police chief said he didn’t know why the judge threatened the other man, but the incident took place within hours of the shooting.
“It might be in retaliation, we don’t have any details,” Piper said.
His daughter, Zelda Garcia Sanchez, 35, said Wednesday afternoon that her father admitted to approaching a man he suspected of killing his son but maintains he did not pull a gun on him.
Investigators were still looking for witnesses and combing the crime scene at the 1500 block of Canales Brothers Road Wednesday morning.
No suspects have been identified, Piper said.
Garcia Jr. had previously served 3 1/2 years in a federal penitentiary on drug trafficking charges, family members said. Court documents in his case remain under seal.
His brother, Gilberto Garcia, 28, was arrested in January and charged with the murder of gardener Felipe Barrera Ramos. His father pronounced the victim’s death in that case.
