Family Of Man Shot, Killed In Garland Road Rage Incident Want Alleged Shooter Arrested
GARLAND, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Filling the lobby of Garland Police headquarters Monday afternoon, the family of Francisco Pasillas, a man killed in an apparent road rage shooting last Thursday, chanted loudly, demanding to know why a suspect hadn't been arrested.
Several hours later, they emerged from a private meeting with reassurances the investigation into Pasillas' death isn't over.
"They gave us the answers we needed," said his wife, Janet Martin, who was sitting next to her husband in his SUV when he was shot.
She recalled a driver was weaving aggressively through traffic pulled in front of them and hit the brakes.
She doesn't know why he became upset with her husband, but by the time they reached the stoplight, tensions boiled over.
"There was no discussion. He just pulled the gun," she said, in Spanish.
Martin said her husband jerked the wheel to try to get away, but was hit by a bullet.
By the time they reached the hospital, she said, he was gone.
"I wouldn't wish that on anyone," she said of her experience.
The shooter left the scene, but appeared at the Garland Police department hours later voluntarily turning himself over for questioning. Police released him without filing charges, saying only that more investigation was needed.
The shooter has not been identified and police have not shared his explanation of what occurred.
"In this case we're dealing with the motive of what happened…." said Captain Patrick McCully, saying certain claims, like one of self-defense, could require investigators to sort through conflicting stories.
"Francisco didn't have a gun. He wasn't a threat to the other individual," said Carlos Quintanilla, a spokesperson for the family.
Police say that after speaking to everyone involved, they're planning to forward the case to a grand jury to decide what charges, if any, should be filed.
"The family is very firm. It wants a criminal indictment for murder," said Quintanilla.