Brad Rumfield, a 32-year-old white male, was fatally shot on February 25, 2021, at the BR Outfitters Taxidermy Shop in Poteet, Texas. The incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. when multiple police agencies, including the Poteet Police Department, Atascosa County Sheriff's Office, and Texas Department of Public Safety, responded to reports of a shooting at the location. Upon arrival, authorities found Brad Rumfield deceased at the scene, having succumbed to his injuries minutes after the shooting.
The investigation revealed that the shooting was the result of a dispute between Brad Rumfield and his landlord, Jimmy Garza, a 63-year-old male. Garza was suspected of shooting and killing Rumfield at the taxidermy shop. The incident marked the first homicide in the Poteet community for the year. The Texas Rangers led the investigation, and Garza was indicted by an Atascosa County Grand Jury. He subsequently turned himself in to authorities on June 30, 2021.
The shooting took place at the same facility where officials had discovered dozens of rotting deer carcasses in January 2021. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, along with the Poteet Police Department, had been called to the facility after reports of a foul smell emanating from the building. Upon inspection, law enforcement officers found deer carcasses lying in a pile on the floor of a walk-in cooler. The business was subsequently sealed and locked, and Brad Rumfield was instructed not to allow any meat to leave the facility.
Jimmy Garza, the landlord of the building, initially called the police after neighbors complained about the smell. He took pictures of the decaying mess inside the building and expressed concerns about the state of the facility. Garza's bond was set at $100,000 by a District Judge. The Texas Rangers and Atascosa County Sheriff's Office handled the investigation, and Garza was not brought in for booking to the Atascosa County Sheriff's Office.
Brad Rumfield's death and the subsequent investigation highlighted the ongoing issues at the BR Outfitters Taxidermy Shop, which had been closed to the public since January 13, 2021. The facility had been deemed unfit for human consumption due to the presence of decaying deer carcasses and other unsanitary conditions. The tragic incident underscored the tensions between Rumfield and Garza, ultimately leading to the fatal shooting and the legal proceedings that followed.
