The family of Miguel Angel Garcia is preparing for his funeral, but on Tuesday, his widow and loved ones wanted to remember the man he was and the act he did in his final moments.
Garcia, who died after being shot Sept. 24 in an attack on an ICE transport van in Dallas, is being remembered as a husband and a father who tried to protect others in his final moments.
With a rosary in one hand and a tissue in the other, Garcia’s widow, Stephany Gaffney Garcia, walked into court alongside attorneys a day after his death.
Fighting through the grief, she told the court her husband was a hero. She recalled how Garcia shielded another detainee during the shooting.
NBC 5 News
NBC 5 News
Stephany Gaffney Garcia says her husband, Miguel Angel Garcia, was a hero who helped protect others after being shot outside a Dallas ICE facility on Sept. 24.
An immigration attorney confirmed the account, saying Garcia, already wounded, told the man, “Get under me, let me protect you,” before covering him as more shots were being fired.
Garcia’s family acknowledged his struggles, including a DWI charge earlier this year, but said that doesn’t erase his final sacrifice.
“Both things can be true at the same time,” attorney Rocio Martinez said.
His mother, Maria Garcia, returned to the U.S. on a humanitarian visa to say goodbye to her son. In Spanish, she said she didn’t expect to see him in such a critical condition but was grateful she arrived in time to tell him she loved him and give him her final blessing.
NBC 5 News
NBC 5 News
Maria Garcia talks about her son, Miguel Angel Garcia, who died several days after being shot outside a Dallas ICE facility.