SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police Officer Michael Garza was a 10-year veteran whose work had earned him the respect of his peers in the department's gang unit. But one warm night in July 2012, his entire career came crashing down.
Since 2011, Garza has been the only SAPD officer disciplined for his or her role in an officer-involved shooting.
Although KSAT 12 learned Thursday that homicide detectives filed a murder charge against him, the shooting was ruled justifiable and Garza faced no criminal charges. Instead, it was his actions leading up to the fatal encounter that cost him his job.
Three years later, the family of Alfred Aragon has one major question: If Garza was found to have lied to investigators, why was his version of the events that led to Aragon's death seen as credible?
"It's frustrating, because basically I feel they went based off what this officer said, who, at this point, we all know is a liar," said Aragon's niece, Ashley Garcia.
Jilted lover goes on rampage
On July 28, 2012, Garza shot and killed Aragon in front of his home after a violent altercation that began on the city's north side.
According to documents obtained by KSAT 12, Garza was working surveillance that night when Abigail Hernandez, the mother of Aragon's son, sent Garza a text asking him to take her to and from a bar. Hernandez complained that Aragon had been texting her repeatedly.
Garza used his city-owned cellphone to send numerous text messages, a violation of department policy. In one text, Garza said he would come pick Hernandez up after he finished his drink. Drinking on duty is also a violation of department policy.
Garza then used his city-owned police unit to pick Hernandez up, another violation of department policy. When the two drove to Hernandez' house, Aragon confronted them in the parking lot. He fired nearly a dozen shots into Garza's vehicle, hitting Hernandez twice.
Garza told investigators that Aragon continued to follow them as they tried to escape, but investigators would later discover that Garza actually followed Aragon, instead of taking Hernandez to a nearby hospital, another violation of department policy.
Aragon drove to his home and was trying to get inside when Garza shot him multiple times in the arm, foot, and back. Aragon's three daughters were inside the home at the time.
"We found out in the morning that my uncle had been shot. We didn't know exactly what happened or that he was dead," Garcia said. "No one told us that Alfred shot at this cop and then this cop went after him. We saw it on the news."
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More questions than answers
Three years since his death, Aragon's family is still bewildered that Garza was not charged with murder, though they admit Alfred was very much at fault.
"As a police officer, (Garza) should have made a better judgement," Garcia said. "Death should not have been the ultimate ending for Alfred at all."
In a statement, the SAPD said, "Homicide detectives did file a criminal charge of murder against Michael Garza."
Garcia said the family was never told about the department's decision. They only knew that a grand jury had returned a no-bill ruling when the district attorney presented the case.
Searching for Michael Garza
After Garza was cleared of the shooting, Garcia enrolled in a criminal justice course, where she learned about any potential recourse her family had.
The family has filed a lawsuit against the city of San Antonio and Michael Garza, but the lawsuit cannot become official until Michael Garza is served with the paperwork.
Attorneys for the family have been unable to find him, although Garza is not hiding from the city. He is currently fighting to get his job back through arbitration.
When asked if Garza should ever be allowed to wear a badge again, Garcia said, "Not at all."
"This is somebody that should have been protecting the people and instead he was out drinking, picking up a girl who he shouldn't have been picking up. He's on duty and he killed somebody. At some point, he has to take responsibility for this."