23rd rampage victim dies

HOUSTON — A soccer coach who was among those shot at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, last year in the deadliest attack targeting Hispanics in modern U.S. history has died nearly nine months later, bringing the death toll from the shooting to 23.

The coach, Guillermo Garcia, 36, had been outside the Walmart raising money for his daughter’s soccer team when a gunman approached and opened fire. In a rampage that left two dozen people injured, in addition to the 22 who were killed, Garcia’s injuries were among the most extensive. He remained in intensive care for weeks, undergoing more than 17 surgeries, and had been hospitalized ever since the attack.

He died Saturday night at Del Sol Medical Center.

“After a nearly nine-month fight, our hearts are heavy as we report Guillermo ‘Memo’ Garcia, our last remaining patient being treated from the El Paso shooting, has passed away,” David Shimp, the hospital’s chief executive, said. “His courage, his strength and his story have touched many lives, including those of our caregivers, who tirelessly fought with him and for him every step of the way.”

With Garcia gravely wounded in the hospital, his family had lived a day-by-day, moment-by-moment existence. On many days, his wife, Jessica, dropped the children off at school in the morning and drove to the hospital, eager to see how her husband was doing.

The Garcias had come to the Walmart on the morning of Aug. 3 to raise money for their daughter’s soccer team.

The soccer families were outside selling lemonade and aguas frescas when a man with an AK-47-style rifle walked up and opened fire.

Garcia, who was nicknamed “Tank,” used his size and his instincts to shield his wife and 6-year-old son, according to the Houston Chronicle. With his back to the gunman, he absorbed many of the bullets.