BROWNSVILLE — A man shot and killed by an escaped inmate was just about to sit down for lunch with some Brownsville friends he had been visiting.
Brownsville Police Chief Orlando Rodriguez said 56-year-old Mario Martinez was with friends Thursday at a home on Fruitdale when inmate Michael Diaz Garcia gained entrance and executed Martinez in front of his wife and friends.
Rodriguez said Martinez tried to calm Garcia in an attempt to protect his family, but this just ended up agitating him instead.
“The suspect overreacted, and then just shot and executed Mr. Martinez. He died there in front of his wife,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez and Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio held a news conference Friday to discuss how Garcia managed to escape custody and commit murder.
“It’s a difficult issue to discuss, a sad issue to discuss, because (Thursday) a tragedy unfolded here in Brownsville,” Rodriguez said.
During Friday’s news conference, Lucio acknowledged that the department’s policy pertaining to the transportation of inmates had not been properly followed because of lack of manpower.
The department’s protocol/policy calls for two transportation officers to be involved in the transportation of inmates, but when there’s a shortage of officers the department has to do with the manpower it has, Lucio said Friday.
In Thursday’s incident, only one transportation officer was used to accompany Garcia, the sheriff said.
“It’s unfortunate that this happened,” the sheriff said.
During his Thursday rampage, Garcia attacked a Cameron County transportation officer, shot and killed another man and engaged in a shootout with law enforcement, and ended up dead.
The department’s transportation policy immediately will be enforced, Lucio said.
Garcia, a Cameron County inmate, was being transported to a dentist’s office for medical services on the 3700 block of Boca Chica Boulevard at about 1 p.m. Thursday, authorities said. Transportation officer Jose Antonio Tella, who has been with the department for about 10 years, was opening the door to remove Garcia from the vehicle when Garcia overpowered him.
Garcia slashed the officer in the neck with a homemade shank he made using a tooth brush and razor blade.
“The suspect (Garcia), who had been shackled and restrained, somehow was able to get out of his restraints and, upon doing so and upon the doors being opened, he immediately rushed and attacked the detention officer,” Rodriguez said.
Garcia managed to take the officer’s duty weapon, a Glock pistol.
“Some way or another, he was able to go ahead and put (the shank) together and he prepared himself well,” Lucio said.
It is unknown how long Garcia had been planning his escape. Lucio said his department would be interviewing fellow inmates to determine if they knew of Garcia’s plans.
“We are trying to find out as much as possible to see what we can do to prevent anything like that in the future,” Lucio said.
Garcia fled the scene of the attack, jumped into a nearby resaca and swam to the residence Martinez was visiting.
Authorities said Tella managed to get inside his transportation vehicle for safety until help arrived. Medical staff at the plaza helped provide medical care to Tella until he was transported to Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville, where he remained while recovering Friday. Tella was alone when he was transporting Garcia.
Last month, Lucio acknowledged his department was short of not only deputies but detention officers as well. During the past three years, the department had lost 45 deputies and 302 detention officers, including nurses and support staff.
Rodriguez said Garcia entered the Fruitdale home through an unlocked door and began to demand someone give him keys to a car so he could flee.
“He just managed to find the right house for him with the door unlocked, and he just barged in. He barged in and took the family by surprise,” Rodriguez said.
“ The suspect, without any reason or any provocation, shot Mr. Martinez, killing him there at the scene,” Rodriguez said.
A family member gave Garcia keys to a 2014 Hyundai Elantra, in which he fled. He led law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase from southeast Brownsville to San Benito.
“The pursuit continued on with extremely high speeds up into the San Benito area, where it ended with a confrontation. When officers from various agencies were trying to apprehend the suspect, the suspect opened fire on the officers, and there was an exchange of gunfire that eventually led to the death of the suspect,” Rodriguez said.
Garcia was shooting at the officers from inside the vehicle he had stolen, authorities said.
Law enforcement agencies involved in the incident are the Brownsville PD, Cameron County deputy constables from Precinct 5 and Precinct 3, sheriff’s deputies and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Garcia had been arrested by Brownsville police numerous times, with the most recent arrest occurring Feb. 15, 2016, for a burglary of habitation. He had been arrested on charges of assault and a terroristic threat. He also received a motor vehicle citation in April 2015.
“We commend those officers, because with everything that is wrong in America, what is right and what is never going to change in a situation as dangerous as this, officers are the ones that are going to the scene and are trying to end the threat. This man was on a rampage (Thursday), he was terrorizing the community and it had to come to a stop,” Rodriguez said.
