An arrest warrant on Thursday described the events that led up to the deadly shooting of Jimmy Hernandez-Rodriguez on Wednesday afternoon at 37th Street and Avenue P.
The warrant said police were called for shots fired just after 4:00 p.m. An officer found Rodriguez on the ground in a yard still breathing and with a faint pulse. He was taken to University Medical Center where he later died.
A witness told officers that just before the shooting an SUV pulled up to the curb near Rodriguez. A man got out, shot Rodriguez, and then got back into the truck. The SUV left. Security footage from the area gave officers a clear description of the vehicle and it was located in the 4600 block of Interstate 27.
Miguel Garza was found inside the truck. He agreed to talk to officers.
Garza told police that Anthony Alvarez was driving, and he was the passenger. A third man was in the middle back seat. Garza noticed Rodriguez “and recognized him as the individual that had been hanging out around several residences that Miguel Garza frequents,” the warrant said.
“Garza stated that he believed that Jimmy Hernandez Rodriguez was a threat to his family’s safety so he needed to protect them,” the warrant said.
Garza told Alvarez he liked Rodriguez’s backpack and wanted to steal it. Alvarez stopped the truck. Garza got out and shot Rodriguez.
Garza told police that Alvarez gave him the gun. Police later located Alvarez who admitted driving the truck but denied giving Garza the gun. Garza also denied wanting to commit robberies, according to the warrant.
But police located text messages from Alvarez that said he was out “hitting licks,” which according to the warrant is slang for committing robberies.
The backseat passenger in the SUV confirmed Garza’s version of the story, according to the warrant.
The warrant was filed just after midnight on Thursday morning. Both Garza and Alvarez were held in the Lubbock County Detention Center on Thursday.
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