Local News

FAIRFIELD (CBS 5 / KCBS / AP / BCN) ― Family, friends and colleagues Tuesday mourned the expected death of 22-year-old Fairfield City Councilman Matt Garcia, who was shot in the head while getting out of his car the night before.

Garcia was declared brain dead Tuesday morning, an emotional Fairfield Mayor Harry Price said, and his family planned to pull him off life support and "let him die naturally" from his injuries. 

A family spokesperson told CBS 5 that they delayed pulling the plug until Garcia's organs could be donated and also until all relatives have a chance to visit the hospital and pay their respects.

Garcia was shot around 8:30 p.m. Monday when he arrived at a friend's house in the 5000 block of Silverado Drive. Garcia had just stepped out of his car when someone fired several shots at him, according to police.

A single bullet struck Garcia in the back of the head, Fairfield Police Chief Kenton Rainey said. He added that the shooter fired multiple shots from a handgun or a rifle.

Garcia was airlifted to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, where he was in "very critical" condition on life support in the intensive care unit, according to the hospital.

Authorities said they still were trying to determine a motive in the shooting and whether Garcia had been specifically targeted.

"We have no motive, no suspects," Rainey said. "We are very, very early in our investigation."

The shooter, described as about 5 feet 9 inches tall with a medium build, was driving an American-made sedan, police said. After the shooting, he fled toward Cordelia.

A witness to the shooting could not say if there was anyone else in the vehicle, Lt. Bob Bunting said.

Police located small-caliber shell casings about 50 yards from where Garcia was found. They were sent to the state Department of Justice in
Sacramento for analysis, said Bunting.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has offered a $50,000 reward for information about the shooting, Chief Rainey said.

One of the youngest elected officials in California, Garcia was just 21 when he was elected to a four-year term as a councilman in November 2007 in the Solano County seat community of 105,000 people.

Fairfield officials opened up the City Council's chambers on Tuesday for those seeking grief counseling. Price said elected officials throughout the Bay Area had also offered their support.

Dozens of Garcia's friends gathered outside City Hall in the afternoon, holding hands in a circle as Fairfield Police Chaplain Joseph Prudhomme and Pastor Charles Brown, chaplain for the Solano County Sheriff's Office, prayed for comfort, strength and understanding.

"Everyone is speechless that a man with a future is no more," Prudhomme said.

Friends said Garcia entered politics to make a difference because his father had been involved in gangs. They said Garcia wanted young people to have alternatives to a gang lifestyle.

"Fairfield will be missing its little shining star," said childhood friend Ted Nierhake, who had known Garcia since the fourth grade. "He was a bright spot for Fairfield. He was an up-and-coming man who was trying to make a difference."

Fairfield school board member Anne Griffin said she and Garcia met last week to discuss opening the Rodriguez High School pool to the public and to make other facilities available as youth centers.

"In a very short time, he made a big difference," Griffin said.

(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)