OLIVIA MAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULT IN SHOOTING OUTSIDE SUGAR BEET PLANT

An Olivia man is facing felony assault charges following a shooting incident outside the Renville Sugar Beet plant December 5 that left a woman with a gunshot wound to the leg.  The criminal complaint says  Angel Garza has been charged with one count of second-degree assault causing substantial bodily harm and one count of second-degree assault with  a dangerous weapon.  Garza called 911 but instructed the victim to hang up.  Dispatchers called the number back and Garza told them he was driving the victim to the hospital in Olivia.  Officers met the vehicle on the west side of Olivia and the victim was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the upper left thigh.  Garza told authorities the shooting was an accident and that the victim tried to grab the gun incorrectly and it went off.  The victim told authorities that she never touched the gun and forensic analysis showed the bullet’s trajectory is consistent with the firearm being discharged from the driver’s seat where Garza was sitting.  Judge Dwayne Knutsen set bail at $100,000 with conditions.