SAPD Officer Fatally Shoots Someone While Drinking On Duty And Gets Rehired

Incident: Michael Garza, an 10-year SAPD veteran once hailed as a top undercover officer, was involved in a fatal on-duty shooting in July 2012. Garza had been drinking alcohol while on duty and was not truthful with investigators afterward​

. The shooting occurred outside the victim Alfred Aragon’s home after a complicated domestic dispute scenario. An internal inquiry found Garza violated multiple policies the night he shot and killed the man​

.

Outcome: Chief William McManus indefinitely suspended (fired) Garza in 2012 for the deadly incident and associated misconduct. In June 2015, however, a third-party arbitrator reversed the firing – giving Garza his job back by reducing the penalty to a 15-day suspension (time served)​

. City officials were dismayed; then-City Manager Sheryl Sculley said she was “appalled” at the reinstatement, citing Garza’s on-duty drinking, dishonesty, and deadly actions​

. Garza returned to SAPD but carried the stigma of the incident; his case became a prominent example of the arbitration system’s power to overturn police firings​

. (No criminal charges were filed in the shooting, but the city reluctantly reinstated him in compliance with the arbitrator’s ruling.)

## Officer Forum Links:
– [Officer Michael Garza](https://watchaudits.com/forums/topic/officer-michael-garza/)

• Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9zRuZU49pM

Forum Links