On a Saturday evening in rural Pawnee County, a heated argument shattered the peace and ended the life of Dr. Tomas Garza, a 52-year-old male of mixed race from Larned, Kansas. The fatal encounter occurred on March 30, 2024, when Garza was shot multiple times. Emergency services were dispatched to a property on Kansas Highway 19 South near Larned shortly after 5:00 p.m. Upon their arrival, they discovered Garza with gunshot wounds.
He was quickly transported to Pawnee Valley Community Hospital, but his injuries proved to be too severe, and he passed away.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Pawnee County Sheriff's Office launched a homicide investigation into the shooting. At the scene of the incident, law enforcement arrested 67-year-old Michael Reynolds of Larned without incident. Reynolds was taken into custody and booked into the Pawnee County Jail on preliminary charges of second-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. An autopsy was ordered to be performed on Dr. Garza.
As the legal process began, Michael Reynolds was formally charged with intentional murder in the second degree, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and criminal possession of a firearm. During a preliminary hearing, Reynolds' legal team put forth a claim of self-defense immunity, often referred to as a "Stand-Your-Ground" defense. After a full day of testimony, the presiding judge found that the state had presented sufficient evidence to proceed with all three charges. The judge determined that based on the evidence, Reynolds could not have subjectively believed that deadly force was necessary, nor would a reasonable person in his circumstances have perceived it as such. A request to reduce Reynolds' bond was denied, and he remains in the custody of the Pawnee County Sheriff with bond set at $250,000.
