'He was a gift:' Brother of slain Twin Peaks victim speaks out
Nov 19, 2024
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — 19-year-old Gabriel Garcia died from a gunshot wound he suffered at Twin Peaks Saturday night off I-70 and Little Blue Parkway.
The name of the person killed comes from friends and family of the man. The Independence School District also confirmed that with us Monday. Garcia was a 2023 graduate of Van Horn High School.
Gabriel's older brother Brando is still down in Mexico. As FOX4 told you Monday, Gabriel's parents live there as well. In an interview with FOX4 Tuesday, Brando told us the family's devastated by what happened.
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"He was a gift. I was an only child until I was eight," Brando said during the interview.
Brando's 28 and last talked to his brother on Friday, the day before he was shot and killed.
"We always talked about soccer," Brando said when asked what his last conversation was with Gabriel. "We had a rivalry because we each liked different soccer teams. He was a Real Madrid fan. I was a Barcelona fan. He was an America fan, and I was a Chivas fan, so that was our dynamic, you know, as brothers."
Saturday night, Gabriel went to Van Horn High School to watch his former Falcons play Pembroke Hill in the Class 3 Soccer State Quarterfinals.
"He was always at the games after he graduated," Brando said. "He was always there supporting his friends."
Tuesday afternoon, FOX4 also talked to Van Horn Athletics Director Chris Corrie on the soccer and football field.
"I saw him at the game," Corrie said, referencing Saturday night. "We chatted briefly, gave a quick hug to him before he left the game [to tell him], 'We appreciate the support that he gives to the team.'"
Corrie was notified by Van Horn's soccer coach on Sunday that Gabriel was killed the night before.
"Gabe was a young man. He'd been here since elementary school," Corrie continued. "His older brother played soccer here, Brando, and he was a kid that grew up on the soccer field here."
Brando told FOX4 Gabriel and friends went out to eat after the game that night. Around 11 p.m. Saturday, the Independence Police Department (IPD) responded to the Twin Peaks where they found a man in the parking lot suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to an area hospital where he later died. IPD does not have anyone in custody.
"I'm beyond mad. My heart got ripped out the day that they took my brother from me," Brando continued. "They're not giving any information. They're leaving us in the blank. We have a right to know what happened or you know, at least who it was."
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IPD would not respond to Brando's remarks. Brando says his parents were able to buy plane tickets Monday night to head to Texas to try to get Humanitarian Visas to come to the United States. They'd like to get their son's body, so he can be buried in Mexico.
Saturday night, Van Horn beat Pembroke Hill 3-1. Now they go on to play Ladue Horton Watkins in St. Charles, Mo. Friday afternoon. It's one of the Class 3 Quarterfinal matches, as there are only four teams left in that class. Corrie says it's been a tough week so far for the soccer team emotionally, but they'll definitely be playing for Gabriel Friday.
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