Exclusive: Alleged Houston gunman's stepmom says he was loving, kind
HOUSTON (KABC) -- The stepmom of a San Bernardino County man accused in Sunday's west Houston shooting rampage spoke exclusively to ABC News. The shooting left two dead, including the alleged 25-year-old gunman.
Using words like kind, loving, smart, and respectful, Dionisio Garza III's stepmother described a young man, she said, may have been struggling more than his family realized.
"He did two tours in Afghanistan. I think he was proud to be in the military, but I know he went through a lot. I think he was always haunted by everything that happened, what he saw," she said.
She said the former Rancho Cucamonga high school student was trying to adjust to civilian life, working and going to school, and she doesn't want the world to think of Garza as a monster.
"We're devastated. I can't think of all the families that were affected by this, and it's just not him. That's not who he was," she added.
Garza, identified as the gunman in a chaotic shooting spree in Houston on Sunday, allegedly killed a man in an auto detail shop, and opened fire in a neighborhood, which wounded six people.
One of the victims, 30-year-old Byron Wilson, is now in the hospital with three gunshot wounds. His mom, Sherri Wilson, said the most disturbing thing was that Garza was a veteran.
"I mean, a veteran, a nice-looking guy. Just, I mean, what are we doing. What are we doing for our veterans? I want them to acknowledge what our veterans have done for us, and they come back wounded. They, too, have families. They're hurting, and we have got to listen. We have to listen," Wilson said.
For the first time, Eyewitness News is hearing some of the back-and-forth between officers during the terrifying ordeal. Some are heard saying, "We got an active shooter situation going on here. Do we believe it's just one, or do we believe we have two shooters?"
New images also emerged of the gas station erupting in flames. The chaos ended with Garza being killed by a SWAT officer.
