Last remaining hospital patient from Aug. 3 Walmart shooting dies
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The last remaining hospital patient from the Aug. 3 Walmart mass shooting has died, family and doctors said Sunday.
“After a nearly nine-month fight, our hearts are heavy as we report Guillermo "Memo" Garcia, our last remaining patient being treated from the El Paso shooting, has passed away," said David Shimp, chief executive officer for Del Sol Medical Center.
With Garcia's passing, 23 people have now died as a result of the shooting.
Garcia was with his family, fundraising for his daughter's soccer team in the Cielo Vista Walmart parking lot on the morning of the shooting. He was shot multiple times by the gunman and remained in the hospital until his death.
His wife, Jessica Coca Garcia, who survived the attack after being shot in the leg, shared this message with ABC-7 on Sunday:
"Last night at 11:22 we lost a warrior but gained an angel. He fought long and hard, with the help of all his troops he won many battles but lost the war. I would like to thank the community for all the love, support, and prayers. On behalf of the Garcia family we would like to give the community the opportunity to pay their respects but due to the current circumstances we feel that right now is not the right time. We would like to ask the community to continue to lift Memo in prayer and allow us to grief this tremendous loss, we are asking for privacy during this time. When the pandemic and social distancing orders pass we will have a proper memorial and mass where the community can pay their respects to an El Paso warrior!"
A week after the shooting, Jessica Garcia rose from her wheelchair to give a speech across the road from the El Paso County jail downtown where the suspected shooter is being held.
“Racism is something I always wanted to think didn’t exist. Obviously, it does,” she said at the time, referring to an online manifesto the accused killer wrote containing derogatory comments about Hispanics.
The Garcia family has joined a number of victims who are suing Walmart over lack of security on the busy Saturday shopping day when about 3,000 people were in the store. The lawsuit is ongoing.
Despite the suit, Walmart issued a statement Sunday offering condolences to the Garcia family.
"The entire Walmart family remains deeply saddened by this tragic event," the statement read. "We will never forget what happened and will always remember those who lost loved ones and were impacted by this terrible act of hate.”
A vigil for "Memo" Garcia was set to be held at the parking lot located at 10175 Gateway Blvd West on Monday at 7:30 p.m., led by a pastor from the Abundant Living Faith Center.
Organizers asked everyone attending to remain in their vehicles, saying "we will demonstrate our love and honor for Memo by turning on our headlights," instead of candles. They also noted that blue was his favorite color, so attendees are encouraged to wear blue and bring blue glow-sticks to the vigil.
(The Associated Press contributed background to this report.)
