Garrett Reeves says night of drinking preceded argument that led to his father’s shooting.
Day 2 in the trial of Garrett Reeves picked up on the morning after the shooting when he and his girlfriend were taken into custody by Erath County sheriff’s deputies.
The two were found about three miles from the family’s home where Garrett allegedly shot his father – Erath County auditor Kent Reeves – more than a dozen times before fleeing the scene.
Patrol Sgt. Chris Hill testified on Tuesday that on the morning of April 10, 2022, he received a call from dispatch that Garrett Reeves had flagged down a motorist and said he had been involved in a “self-defense shooting” the night before and asked them to call police.
When Sgt. Hill arrived at the scene, he said Garrett and his girlfriend were both armed and sitting on the ground.
Erath County District Attorney Alan Nash played body cam footage for jurors that showed Hill commanding the two to get on their knees and place their hands behind their back.
Jurors could also hear Garrett telling the deputy where his other weapons were located.
THE INTERVIEW
Texas Ranger B.J. Hill was on the stand for most of the day Tuesday, explaining the crime scene to jurors.
After Garrett Reeves was taken into custody, Hill interviewed him for several hours at the Erath County Sheriff’s Office.
That interview was played for jurors, and in it, Garrett told Hill that his parents were being “charitable” by allowing he and his girlfriend to move into their home a little more than a year prior.
He said his father had never abused him and that the two “always had a pretty good relationship.”
On the night of the shooting, Garrett said he and his father had a couple of beers on the patio while listening to comedians on YouTube.
“We were having a good time,” he said.
The two then went into the house and mixed some “liquor” with orange juice and began “talking about stuff we don’t normally talk about.”
It wasn’t long, Garrett said, before the two became drunk and began arguing about his career choices.
He said his father was no longer in control of his emotions and began to threaten him.
“He was on top of me and I fired one round because I believed I was in danger,” Garrett said, adding that his father grabbed him by the throat and the two fell to the ground.
“I thought, man, that guy is crazy because he took that round and kept fighting,” Garrett said. “I thought he was about to kill me.”
Garrett said he fired several more shots at his father moments before his mother Lora Reeves ran downstairs and began screaming.
Garrett said he called for his girlfriend and the two ran out the back door as his father was lying on the floor, screaming in pain.
“I just kept running – for miles – as far away as I could get from that,” Garrett said.
Testimony is expected to resume Wednesday morning.
