On the afternoon of December 8, 2025, deputies responded to reports of shots fired at a property in the 6100 block of East County Road 7260 in Lubbock, Texas. They found 53-year-old Alfredo Franco Garza with life-threatening gunshot wounds; Garza was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead on arrival.

The property owner, 54-year-old Leslie Harston, called 911 around 2:40 p.m. and told deputies he had shot an unknown individual on his land. Arrest affidavits say Harston told detectives he left his home with a firearm in his pocket and encountered Garza, whom he said chased him around the property twice. Harston reportedly admitted Garza was unarmed and had not threatened him, and alleged Garza used a rude word toward him. Investigators say Harston fired multiple rounds, struck Garza, broke Garza’s mobile phone, then dragged Garza’s body to another spot on the property. Deputies observed a bullet hole in Garza’s pickup and drag marks on the ground. Harston was arrested and booked on a murder charge; arrest documents state he intentionally or knowingly caused the death.

What details about the encounter or motive are missing that might help explain how the situation escalated?