AUSTIN, Texas — The family of a man who was killed by a Hays County corrections officer in 2022 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the county.
Joshua Wright's family claims that "excessive, unnecessary and ultimately lethal force" were inflicted on Wright by Isaiah Garcia, the corrections officer assigned to monitor him.
In the lawsuit, claims were made that the result of Wright's death was ultimately because of flawed training and practices. Garcia fired multiple shots, and the argument made was that Hays County Sheriff Gary Cutler should have issued more guards, and that Garcia was not given the proper training, "To transition from using a firearm to using a taser or other less-deadly form of force."
"One of the reasons this officer is struggling to live with what he did is because it is so apparent that the county, the sheriff, the people who are supposed to be the adults in the room training these officers, dropped the ball and let these officers down," said Jeff Edwards, the attorney representing the Wright family. "Joshua Wright's life had value. And you don't just get to shoot a human being like they're a rabid dog when they don't pose a danger to anyone."
Wright was an inmate in pre-trial detention in the Hays County Jail and was taken to a Seton Hospital in Kyle in December 2022 after complaining about a medical issue. Garcia was assigned to guard Wright at the hospital. According to the district attorney's office, Garcia was preparing to take Wright back to jail when Wright shoved him and tried to run away. That's when Garcia shot Wright to death.
Bodycam footage released in June of this year showed Wright leaving the bathroom as Garcia displays handcuffs. Wright appeared to shove Garcia and run off down a hospital hallway. Both are seen running by hospital staff and patients before Wright falls to the ground. As he gets back up, Garcia appears to fire his gun before Wright falls to the ground.
Garcia was initially charged with deadly conduct, a third-degree felony, before the charge was dismissed earlier this year at the request of Wright's family. According to the DA's office, the indictment alleged that Garcia fired his gun at or in the direction of one or more people by shooting at Wright in a hospital when patients and staff were present. The indictment didn't charge Garcia with an offense directly related to Wright, but it did accuse him of deadly conduct for the circumstances during which he fired his gun.
This is the second lawsuit filed over Wright's death.
A civil suit was filed against Garcia in July 2023. Edwards said the two lawsuits will likely be combined and his office hopes to try the case sometime next year.
"It's too late for Mrs. Wright and Joshua's daughter, but it's not too late for the next," said Edwards.