In the early morning hours of December 4, 2019, the body of 33-year-old Oscar Garcia was discovered on the patio of an apartment in an east Las Vegas complex on the 3500 block of Folage Drive. The Clark County coroner's office would later determine that the Hispanic male had died from multiple gunshot wounds, ruling his death a homicide. Police believed Garcia had been shot several hours before his body was found just before 7:15 a.m.
The investigation into Garcia's death revealed a
dispute that had taken place at a vacant apartment where several people were squatting. An argument over a machete resulted in Garcia being locked out on the patio. He then began breaking windows to get back inside. A call for help was made to 35-year-old Gerardo Aparicio, who arrived with 19-year-old Oscar Reyes and two other individuals. After a brief conversation with Garcia, Aparicio allegedly ordered Reyes to shoot him. A witness saw a man, later identified as Reyes, draw a rifle and shoot Garcia multiple times.
A breakthrough in the case came from a jailhouse informant who provided police with information about the shooting and identified both Aparicio and Reyes. On Saturday, December 28, 2019, Gerardo Aparicio and Oscar Reyes were arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center. Both men were charged with one count each of open murder and conspiracy to commit murder and were held without bail. During police interviews, Aparicio denied knowing Reyes or being at the apartment complex. However, Reyes confessed that Aparicio had ordered him to shoot at Garcia. Reyes claimed he aimed the rifle at Garcia's feet and fired three times before Garcia screamed and fell.
