Driving down North Texas Street in Fairfield, Calif., is a constant reminder of the loss of 22-year-old Councilman Matt Garcia.
His picture with the saying, “Keep the Dream Alive” lines the streets; it is on every pole, in every window and on t-shirts that loved ones made in his memory.
Sadly, Garcia was shot and killed on Sept. 1 outside of friend’s house in Cordelia, a quiet Fairfield neighborhood.
He was rushed to the John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek after the shooting and declared brain dead on Sept. 2. He died four days later.
Garcia was one of the youngest elected officials in the history of the state and had a goal to make Fairfield a safer place to live."Most kids in Fairfield couldn't give a damn about this city, but Matt loved Fairfield," said his friend Ryan Kelly, 22, to the San Francisco Chronicle. "I don't know what it was, but he thought this was our place, and he was going to make it better no matter what."
Since the shooting, Henry Don Williams, 32, of Fairfield, has been arrested along with Gene Allen Combs, 45, of Suisun City.
Nicole Stewart, 33, was also arrested but was later released after a review from the District Attorney’s Office.
Stewart will be a material witness to the case. It is believed she was driving the car when the shooting took place. She is currently in protective custody.
On Wednesday, Williams pleaded not guilty for the murder of Garcia. He faces first degree murder and could be sentenced up to 51-years-to-life in prison.
Combs will appear as the codefendant in the case and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
The slaying of Garcia was allegedly due to a case of mistaken identity.
But sadly that’s not the end of the tragedies that Fairfield residents have faced this month.
On Sept. 20, a day after 54-year-old Councilman Frank Gardos was convicted for felony assault against his ex-girlfriend, he killed himself.
His attorney, Daniel Russo, told the Contra Costa Times that he was destroyed by his conviction and he was worried for Gardos’ children.
"I think he felt like he lost his life. All he did was talk about his kids," said Russo.
Since the charges were filed against Gardos he was fired from his assistant principal job at Armijo High School and he would have had to leave the city council by his sentencing date.
Now Fairfield City Council has the job of filling two councilmember’s seats.
For the Garcia family their confusion of why their relative was shot and killed still remains unanswered.
A Web site for Garcia, which was made for him while running for office, is now a place where mourners can leave their condolences.
“Matt, you may be gone physically but your spirit, inspiration and motivation will live in everyone you have touched and no one can take that away, no one,” an anonymous commenter wrote.
As a member of the Fairfield community, my heart goes out to both families. September has been a hard month for the people of Fairfield. Now, we can only move forward and “Keep the Dream Alive” as Garcia would have wanted.
3 comments:
My Minorities class talked about Garcia. That is so sad. I guess a few peeps in class knew him and had more details to the story, but still I hate to hear that people get shot so close to where I live. I always think "oh that never happens where I live only in L.A.". This definitely brings people back to reality. Good coverage.
I think the writer did an excellent job of recapping the news stories about these tragedies.
What's missing is the writer's take on the matter - the column part. Most of what is here is a rehash of the news stories.
As a reader, I am curious about the writer's reactions, the reactions of the community.
A tragic event absolutely. It needs more explanation and more introspection on the part of the writer to make this a powerful column that readers would not be able to stop reading.
that is a sad story, especially for someone who really loved his city and was trying to manke an impact in his city, such as Garcia.
I also agree, however, with fitz. I wish there would've been more of your hometown feel, take, or opinion, instead of just another news story on the matter.
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