Mark Tyson
Member
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Friday, February 06, 2004, 8: 18 AM PST
Suspect Phones Home Before Deadly Shootout
02/02/2004
10 minutes before he was shot to death, Ricky Garcia phoned with message of love.
By JEFF ECKHOFF, Des Moines Register (Iowa)
Speeding toward a final confrontation with Des Moines Register, Iowa police, Ricky Garcia Jr. spent some of the last minutes of his life on a cell phone telling family members that he loved them.
Amy Garcia said her 20-year-old brother left a message on the family's answering machine about 10 minutes before he was shot to death Thursday after a 27-minute chase involving officers from four police agencies.
"He just said that he loved us and to take care of his (2-year-old) son, Christopher," Garcia's 15-year-old sister said Friday.
The words, discovered only after relatives learned of Garcia's death, seem to help, she said.
"I know that he cared about us all," she said. "I don't understand it, but I know that sometimes things happen, and you've got to do what you think you need to do."
Authorities say Garcia apparently felt the need to run from police after a West Des Moines police officer pulled his car over shortly before 1 a.m. for a speeding violation.
Garcia, on probation for 2002 firearms charges, fled when asked to step out of his car. He had a handgun with him as he headed south to Carlisle.
The chase eventually wound back to downtown Des Moines, where a Polk County sheriff's deputy bumped Garcia's car into a spin at the intersection of Second and Grand avenues.
Police say Garcia jumped out and fired at them as he ran.
Garcia would have faced an automatic five-year prison term if caught with the gun.
Mark Sheehan, Garcia's uncle, is certain that his nephew bolted out of fear.
"He used to visit me in prison," Sheehan said. "He knew he didn't want any part of that."
Sheehan objected to The Des Moines Register's description of Garcia's multiple firearms arrests as a "long" criminal record.
Court documents show Garcia pleaded guilty to a felony firearms charge in August 1999 after his stepfather found a sawed-off .22-caliber rifle in the teen's bedroom. Twenty months later, Garcia was arrested at Big Creek State Park with a shotgun, a rifle and a .38-caliber revolver. He again received a suspended sentence and probation.
"I think being in trouble two times in your whole life is not that big of a deal," said Sheehan, who says his own history includes charges of kidnapping, attempted murder and assault. "He didn't have a "long" criminal record."
Amy Garcia said her brother's first phone call Thursday came in on a cell phone shortly before the West Des Moines officer pulled him over. Garcia just said that he loved her and that he needed to go, she said.
Shortly before 3 a.m., Amy Garcia, another sister, and Garcia's ex-girlfriend happened to drive past the intersection of Second and Grand avenues. In the middle of the flashing lights, they recognized Garcia's car.
"We went past and we saw all these cops, and we decided to go check" on him, Amy Garcia said.
No one at the Des Moines Police Department would tell them anything, she said. The phone call - and discovery of Garcia's message - came after they returned home.
The sister says she's angry.
"He fired at them, sure, but why did they have to fire back?" Amy asked. "Sure, they needed to protect themselves. But it didn't seem as if anybody got hit. . . ."
Authorities Friday were still piecing together details of the shooting. Five officers were initially placed on paid leave while the investigation was under way. Officials have declined to say how many shots were fired or how many times bullets struck Garcia.
For Sheehan, none of it makes sense.
Garcia was a good kid, he insists. "Yes, Garcia was depressed lately, but he also was looking forward to his 21st birthday on Feb. 9, when he would go to Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino," he said.
He said his nephew drank "once in a while," but never touched drugs. And he didn't hurt people.
So why was he riding around with a loaded gun? "None of us know that," the uncle said. "That was the first question I asked.
Friday, February 06, 2004, 8: 18 AM PST
Suspect Phones Home Before Deadly Shootout
02/02/2004
10 minutes before he was shot to death, Ricky Garcia phoned with message of love.
By JEFF ECKHOFF, Des Moines Register (Iowa)
Speeding toward a final confrontation with Des Moines Register, Iowa police, Ricky Garcia Jr. spent some of the last minutes of his life on a cell phone telling family members that he loved them.
Amy Garcia said her 20-year-old brother left a message on the family's answering machine about 10 minutes before he was shot to death Thursday after a 27-minute chase involving officers from four police agencies.
"He just said that he loved us and to take care of his (2-year-old) son, Christopher," Garcia's 15-year-old sister said Friday.
The words, discovered only after relatives learned of Garcia's death, seem to help, she said.
"I know that he cared about us all," she said. "I don't understand it, but I know that sometimes things happen, and you've got to do what you think you need to do."
Authorities say Garcia apparently felt the need to run from police after a West Des Moines police officer pulled his car over shortly before 1 a.m. for a speeding violation.
Garcia, on probation for 2002 firearms charges, fled when asked to step out of his car. He had a handgun with him as he headed south to Carlisle.
The chase eventually wound back to downtown Des Moines, where a Polk County sheriff's deputy bumped Garcia's car into a spin at the intersection of Second and Grand avenues.
Police say Garcia jumped out and fired at them as he ran.
Garcia would have faced an automatic five-year prison term if caught with the gun.
Mark Sheehan, Garcia's uncle, is certain that his nephew bolted out of fear.
"He used to visit me in prison," Sheehan said. "He knew he didn't want any part of that."
Sheehan objected to The Des Moines Register's description of Garcia's multiple firearms arrests as a "long" criminal record.
Court documents show Garcia pleaded guilty to a felony firearms charge in August 1999 after his stepfather found a sawed-off .22-caliber rifle in the teen's bedroom. Twenty months later, Garcia was arrested at Big Creek State Park with a shotgun, a rifle and a .38-caliber revolver. He again received a suspended sentence and probation.
"I think being in trouble two times in your whole life is not that big of a deal," said Sheehan, who says his own history includes charges of kidnapping, attempted murder and assault. "He didn't have a "long" criminal record."
Amy Garcia said her brother's first phone call Thursday came in on a cell phone shortly before the West Des Moines officer pulled him over. Garcia just said that he loved her and that he needed to go, she said.
Shortly before 3 a.m., Amy Garcia, another sister, and Garcia's ex-girlfriend happened to drive past the intersection of Second and Grand avenues. In the middle of the flashing lights, they recognized Garcia's car.
"We went past and we saw all these cops, and we decided to go check" on him, Amy Garcia said.
No one at the Des Moines Police Department would tell them anything, she said. The phone call - and discovery of Garcia's message - came after they returned home.
The sister says she's angry.
"He fired at them, sure, but why did they have to fire back?" Amy asked. "Sure, they needed to protect themselves. But it didn't seem as if anybody got hit. . . ."
Authorities Friday were still piecing together details of the shooting. Five officers were initially placed on paid leave while the investigation was under way. Officials have declined to say how many shots were fired or how many times bullets struck Garcia.
For Sheehan, none of it makes sense.
Garcia was a good kid, he insists. "Yes, Garcia was depressed lately, but he also was looking forward to his 21st birthday on Feb. 9, when he would go to Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino," he said.
He said his nephew drank "once in a while," but never touched drugs. And he didn't hurt people.
So why was he riding around with a loaded gun? "None of us know that," the uncle said. "That was the first question I asked.
