New information is emerging about the family dispute that led to a shooting during a birthday celebration in Tolleson on Saturday morning. Police say the gathering took place at a restaurant near 91st Avenue and Van Buren Street when an argument escalated into gunfire.
According to court documents, the confrontation began after someone at the party showed 42-year-old Luis Garcia a video of what he believed was his brother and his brother’s wife involved in “some kind of relationship.” The victim’s wife told police that the video sparked a heated argument and that alcohol may have played a role in the tension.
She said she did not witness the fight itself, but when she walked outside, she saw the victim on the ground with a gunshot wound to the stomach. Tolleson police also spoke with Garcia’s wife, who provided a similar account. She said she left the party to take her parents home to Laveen.
On her drive back, she tried calling both the victim and Garcia, but neither answered. She told police that when she called the victim a second time, someone picked up, and she heard what sounded like people fighting. She said she could not determine who was involved, according to the AZ Family.
When the second witness returned to the restaurant, she walked from the front to the back of the building after parking her car and found the victim lying on the ground with a gunshot wound, according to court records. Two witnesses told officers they saw Garcia leave the restaurant in a lifted GMC truck.
A third witness said she did not know what led to the shooting but used someone else’s phone to call 911 after seeing the injured victim. Police obtained surveillance footage from a nearby business. While the camera did not capture the shooting itself, audio recorded people arguing before two loud pops.
After the second pop, a woman can be heard saying, “What are you doing? You just shot your brother.” Footage also captured a truck resembling Garcia’s driving away shortly afterward. Officers attempted to locate Garcia at his home in Avondale but were unsuccessful. During the investigation, police secured a search warrant for the business where the shooting occurred.
Inside, they recovered several cell phones, 14 guns, and shell casings believed to be linked to the incident. Investigators also obtained a search warrant for OnStar, the tracking system in Garcia’s vehicle, and traced the truck to an apartment in Phoenix.
While surveilling the location, officers saw Garcia leave the apartment and arrested him. Police say they seized a gun and a small bag of cocaine during the arrest. The victim remains in critical condition but is expected to recover. Garcia has been booked on charges that include attempted murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and drug offenses. His cash-only bond has been set at $750,000.
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