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Identity of off-duty CCISD officer involved in Westside Walmart shooting released

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The off-duty Corpus Christi Independent School District officer involved in a deadly shooting at a Westside Walmart has been identified. Sergeant Andrea Bucher was working as a security guard when the incident occurred.

Bucher is now named in a civil lawsuit filed by the family of 34-year-old Rodney Alan Garcia, who was killed in the shooting. The lawsuit, which also names Walmart, seeks $25 million in damages.

On Nov. 24, Garcia was sitting in his car in the Walmart parking lot at Greenwood and SPID when Bucher approached him, suspecting him of shoplifting. According to the lawsuit, when Garcia attempted to drive away, Bucher shot him.

In an exclusive interview with KRIS 6 News, Garcia’s wife, Raquel Garcia, called the shooting “overkill.”

“Law enforcement is supposed to protect you. Why couldn’t he just have Tased him? Why couldn’t you have just gotten his license plate and found him later?” Garcia said.

Bucher began her law enforcement career in 2008, working with several agencies, including San Patricio County, Taft, Kleberg County, and CCISD. She left CCISD in 2019 but returned in 2022.

She has not been criminally charged. CCPD officials said the investigation is still ongoing and declined any further comments.

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