In October 2023, a chaotic scene unfolded outside the Dub Farris Athletic Complex in San Antonio, where thousands of fans were streaming into a varsity football game.
Markay Garcia, a 34‑year‑old mother of two and wife of a Sotomayor High School assistant coach, was standing near the parking lot when Officer Kyle Kennedy opened fire, shattering her humerus bone, destroying her triceps muscle and leaving her with permanent nerve damage.
According to body‑camera audio captured by Officer Garcia, the SUV appeared to be moving erratically, prompting the officer to try to open the vehicle’s door while Kennedy positioned himself directly in front of the car, escalating the confrontation.
Surveillance footage later released by investigators contradicted Garcia’s claim, showing the vehicle traveling at a normal pace and not posing an immediate threat, a discrepancy that became a focal point of the ensuing investigation.
Michael Sierra‑Arévalo, a policing expert at the University of Texas at Austin, denounced the officers’ tactics as unsafe and fundamentally flawed, stating that the use of force was unjustified from the outset.
Legal Proceedings
Kennedy was indicted in November 2024 on charges of aggravated assault by a public servant, deadly conduct and official oppression. In December 2025 he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, surrendered his Texas peace officer license and stepped down from the force.
Garcia remains employed by Northside Independent School District, while the department has faced scrutiny over the incident and its handling of officer performance records that previously flagged Kennedy’s deficiencies in interviewing and traffic enforcement.
The case has sparked a broader conversation about accountability in school‑district policing, with community leaders calling for policy revisions and independent oversight to prevent similar confrontations in the future.