Family, Customers And Friends Mourn Murdered Owner of Houston Tire Shop

HOUSTON, TX — Bobby Garcia wasn't wasting his second chance at life. He was the owner of a thriving tire shop, had put a three-year stint in prison behind him, and was a loving husband and father. He was even known to give tires away to customers too poor to pay for them.

That all ended yesterday, when Garcia, ever generous, tried to thwart two men from stealing from a friend's car.

According to the Houston Police Department, Garcia, who owned Garcia's Tires and Wheels, had stopped at the gas station next door to his store, where he bought drinks for his tire shop. As he was leaving the store, he noticed two men taking items from a Lexus parked outside. The car belonged to his friend, the owner of the gas station, and they both intervened.

What happened next ended Garcia's life, and left his family, friends, and customers mourning the 38-year-old. One of the would-be thieves opened fire, and a bullet grazed Garcia's friend. Paramedics responded, performed CPR on Garcia, then transported him to Ben Taub Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

“Please tell me it’s not true,” Jennifer Hernandez, Garcia's wife, told KHOU. “Please tell me it’s not true, because I can’t believe it happened. I can’t believe he’s gone.”

“It wasn’t meant for him,” she added. “We had so many plans: buying a house, grow old together. He wanted to travel the world when we got old. Now we can’t do that.”

A gofundme account has been established to help pay for Garcia's funeral.

Police are searching for the two assailants, who sped away in a gray or blue Chrysler 200.

— Photo courtesy gofundme.com