Tomas Garza

Dr. Tomas Garza, a 52-year-old male of mixed race, was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a respected medical supervisor at Larned State Hospital in Kansas. A resident of the Larned area since 2012, he was described by colleagues as a "force of nature" with a personality that was "bigger than life." To his family, he was a husband, father, and grandfather.

On the evening of Saturday, March 30, 2024, an argument broke out at a property on Kansas Highway 19 South in rural Pawnee County. Shortly after 5:00 p.m., Dr. Garza was shot multiple times. Emergency responders transported him to Pawnee Valley Community Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries and passed away.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office launched a homicide investigation. At the scene of the shooting, law enforcement arrested 67-year-old Michael Reynolds of Larned without incident. He was taken into custody and booked into the Pawnee County Jail.

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 in November 2024, his legal team claimed he acted in self-defense and was immune from prosecution under Kansas's "Stand-Your-Ground" law. After hearing a full day of testimony, the presiding judge rejected the claim, finding that the state had presented sufficient evidence to proceed with all three charges. The judge ruled that based on the evidence, Reynolds could not have subjectively believed deadly force was necessary, nor would a reasonable person have perceived it as such in his circumstances. A request to reduce his $250,000 bond was denied.

At his arraignment in January 2025, Reynolds formally pleaded not guilty. The case proceeded with a series of delays that pushed the trial date back multiple times. Following a competency evaluation, a judge ruled in February 2026 that Reynolds was incompetent to stand trial.

The court ordered him to be committed to a state psychiatric facility for up to 90 days of competency restoration treatment, placing the trial on hold indefinitely. Due to a backlog for bed space at state facilities, Reynolds remained in the Pawnee County Jail for several months. The case is pending the outcome of his treatment, which began when he was transferred to Osawatomie State Hospital in July 2026.