A hardworking father of five, 37-year-old Oscar Colindres Garcia, was shot and killed in the driveway of his home on Joplin Street in Seat Pleasant, Maryland, just before midnight on August 17, 2016. A native of El Salvador, Garcia was known for his dedication to his family, working multiple jobs to support them, including at a deli, in cleaning services, and as a weekend DJ. On the night of his death, he had just returned from his second job when he was fatally shot while still in his car.
His wife and children were inside their home at the time of the incident.
Initially, the Prince George's County Police Department investigated the case, stating they did not believe Garcia was specifically targeted. In the days following the shooting, authorities released a composite sketch of a person of interest described as an African-American male, between 20 and 30 years old, 5'10' to 6'0' tall, and weighing between 185 and 200 pounds. A reward of up to $25,000 was offered for information leading to an arrest and indictment in the case.
In October 2016, a significant development occurred when police arrested 30-year-old Master Matthew-Wayne Thomas of Capitol Heights in connection with the homicide. The motive for the shooting was determined to be robbery. Thomas was subsequently charged with first and second-degree murder. At the time of his arrest for Garcia's murder, Thomas was in custody in the District of Columbia.
Years later, in January 2024, Master Matthew-Wayne Thomas, then 37, accepted a plea deal in a separate 2016 homicide case that occurred in Washington, D.C. He pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in that case. During those proceedings, it was confirmed that he was still facing the first and second-degree murder charges in Prince George's County for the death of Oscar Colindres Garcia. However, the final disposition of the charges against Thomas in the murder of Oscar Colindres Garcia in Prince George's County is not publicly available in online sources.
