PAWNEE COUNTY—A man accused in a rural Pawnee County murder made his first court appearance Wednesday.
Michael EG Reynolds, 67 of Larned, was charged with Intentional Murder in the Second Degree, Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and Criminal Possession of a Firearm, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.
The charges stem from a joint investigation by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and Coroner Dr. Lyle Noordhoek.
Just after 5:00 p.m., on Saturday, emergency dispatch was notified of a shooting that had just occurred at 1219 Kansas Highway 19 South, in rural Pawnee County.
Emergency personnel discovered that Dr. Tomas Garza, 52, of Larned, had been shot multiple times during an argument with Michael Reynolds, 67, of Larned.
Garza was transported to an area hospital but died of his injuries. An individual that was with Garza at the time of the incident indicated the firearm in question had also been aimed at them. Reynolds was taken into custody at the scene without incident. It is the State’s position that Reynolds was not legally entitled to possess a firearm on the date in question due to an incident in 2015 involving a firearm, according to McNett.
Counsel was appointed to represent the defendant and a Preliminary Hearing was scheduled for April 16.
The Court granted the State’s request that Reynolds be held Without Bond due to community safety concerns. Reynolds remains in custody at the Pawnee County Jail