HAYS COUNTY — Hays County recently issued a statement regarding the in-custody death of Joshua Wright at the hands of Hays County Jail Corrections Officer Isaiah Garcia, specifically regarding the release of his body camera footage — an act requested by the Wright family and County Judge Ruben Becerra.
The Texas Rangers are conducting the investigation into Wright’s death, which occurred at Ascension Seton Hays Hospital in Kyle on Dec. 12.
According to the statement released by Hays County, the Rangers have requested that the bodycam video of the officer-involved shooting, along with all pertinent information related to the investigation not be released until their investigation is complete.
“The immediate release of the bodycam video and other information may adversely affect the Rangers’ ability to conduct an investigation by, among other things, impacting the recollections and statements of witnesses,” the news release stated.
Further, the hospital has raised concerns over the inadvertent disclosure of privileged third-party medical information via video footage.
“For that reason, at the appropriate time for release of the body cam footage, it will need to be reviewed and potentially redacted for those purposes,” according to the statement.
The call for footage by the Wright family, as well as their lawyers, has stirred public demand for the release of the bodycam video.
Approximately 50 people attended last week’s commissioners court meeting, with more than a dozen making a comment to plead with public officials to force the hand of the Hays County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the statement, members of the Hays County Commissioners Court have been monitoring the situation and “understand the importance of maintaining the integrity of the investigation, but they also recognize the grief felt by Mr. Wright’s family and the need for closure in the community.” Therefore, court members will be requesting that the state dedicate as many resources to the investigation as possible to aid the Rangers’ investigation, after which the district attorney’s office will determine the timing for public disclosure of the video and other materials related to the investigation.
While Garcia was placed on administrative leave following Wright’s death, the Hays County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that he has returned to work pending the outcome of the investigation. However, he will not be assigned to any position involving the direct supervision of jail inmates until the investigation concludes.
The Hays Free Press will continue to monitor this incident closely and update the public with any new information as it becomes available.
