HOUSTON – The Harris County Sheriff’s Office released bodycam footage Tuesday that shows the moments after a deadly deputy-involved shooting last week.
Marcelo Garcia, 46, was shot and killed early April 14 at his home in northeast Harris County.
Investigators said Marcelo Garcia was shot and killed after charging at the deputy with a knife.
Garcia’s family said Garcia suffered from mental illness and that he was unarmed when he was shot.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez talked about the incident during a news conference that happened as the nation awaited the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd. The news conference had been scheduled before news of the Chauvin verdict broke.
“I want to continue to call upon all of our leaders to continue to invest in mental health services that continue to be desperately needed here and across our nation,” Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. “Too often, peace officers are finding themselves placed in life or death situations involving people who are experiencing a mental health crisis.”
Gonzalez said the deputies who responded to the shooting were familiar with Garcia since they’ve dealt with him successfully in the past. He added that all of the deputies with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office are trained in crisis management and are taught how to deal with mental health patients.
“Our agency has invested heavily in training and resources for our deputies who received 40 hours of training on how to deal with these situations,” Gonzalez said.
He also added that the department has equipped more than 150 deputies with iPads that connect them to mental health professionals who can help them peacefully resolve situations in the field when dealing with mental health patients.
The bodycam footage showed the moments after Garcia was shot. Several deputies were heard commanding Garcia to stay down while he attempted to stand up after being shot.
Moments leading up to the shooting were not shown in the bodycam video, but officers can be heard yelling, “Where’s the knife?”
The Sheriff’s Office initially said that a deputy was met at the front door by Garcia who was holding a knife and walking toward him.
Moments after the shooting, deputies can be seen placing Garcia in handcuffs and flashing what appears to be a knife into the camera.
Gonzalez said the investigation is still ongoing.
WARNING: This video contains graphic content and may be disturbing to some people.