Rodolfo “Rudy” Garza Jr. has emerged from the shadows of a life-altering mass shooting that took place on West Sixth Street in Austin back in March. After enduring four months of hospitalization and numerous surgeries following a gunshot wound to the head, Garza is now focused on rebuilding his life and has even graduated from college.
Just two months shy of completing his mechanical engineering degree at the University of Texas at Austin, Garza was caught in the chaos of the shooting while celebrating the birthdays of two friends. The incident left three individuals dead and injured 14 others, prompting a swift response from law enforcement that resulted in the gunman’s death.
Garza recounts that he typically avoids bars and has little memory of that fateful night, aside from enjoying time with friends. “All I remember is hanging out with some friends the day of,” he shared. “I didn’t want to go … that’s all I remember. I don’t remember what happened during [the shooting].”
Following the tragedy, Garza was rushed to the hospital, where medical staff were particularly concerned about the bleeding and swelling in his brain, as noted by his mother, Cynthia Hernandez. “Seeing my baby go through all of that when he was a healthy young man was very hard,” Hernandez said, reflecting on the challenges they faced during his recovery. “He wasn’t able to communicate, and that was also very frustrating for him.”
Though Garza has no recollection of the shooting itself, Hernandez vividly remembers the harrowing moment she learned of her son’s injury. Working as a travel nurse in Iowa at the time, she had been unable to sleep the night of the shooting. It was around 2 a.m. when she received a call from Rudy’s friends, who informed her of the shooting and that they had lost track of him.
“They said, ‘We can’t find him. He was with us when it all started. We all ran, we thought he was coming with us. We turned around, he was not there,’” Hernandez recalled. After verifying his location and finding him in a hospital, she immediately booked a flight to Austin, all while frantically trying to gather more information from the hospital. The first real details came only after she boarded the plane. “I get the call from the hospital, and it was the doctors,” she said. “They were saying that it was bad, that it was very bad, that he had gotten shot in the head, that they couldn’t take out the bullet.”
Hernandez chose to leave her job in post-anesthesia care to care for Garza full-time, a decision facilitated by community support that has raised over $400,000 through an online fundraiser. “Even though I am familiar with some of the aspects, things that he was going through, it’s still very different [when] I’m on the other side,” she explained. “When they would come and talk to me, I’m like, ‘forget that I’m a nurse. I’m just a mom.’”
During his time in the hospital, Garza received extensive rehabilitation, where he relearned how to walk and talk. Initially communicating through an iPad, he has made significant progress, though he still faces challenges with stability, speech, and endurance. Now back home, Garza is committed to his therapy, aiming to regain full independence and the ability to enjoy activities like video gaming and traveling.
Garza credits his friends as a vital source of support throughout his recovery. While he cannot participate in gaming sessions physically, he spends hours talking with them and hopes to rejoin them soon. “I want my right hand and my leg to heal, so I have no more ataxia,” he expressed.
Support from his university community has also played a crucial role in Garza’s recovery. Joshua Keena, an associate professor at UT, and Garza’s classmates have collaborated to create a device to aid his stability as part of their capstone project. “When I first heard of the incident, we met with his team, and we let them know that collectively, we were going to develop a path forward that allowed us to best help Rudy and his family,” Keena said.
Garza’s determination shone through when he walked across the graduation stage just two months after his injury, a moment he shared with his mother. “It was truly inspirational to know where he was not that long before,” Keena remarked, highlighting Garza’s commitment to completing his education.
Despite facing setbacks, including a second major surgery after a brain bleed, Garza has remained resolute in his recovery journey. “It felt like it was starting all over again, going through the same thing,” Hernandez reflected on the ordeal. Yet, she emphasized the speed of Garza’s recovery following the third surgery, noting how quickly he regained his ability to communicate.
Today, Garza is relishing the simple pleasures he missed, such as enjoying his favorite meals. To facilitate ongoing treatment and rehabilitation, he and his family relocated to Austin from Mission, Texas. “The boys will be going to a new school. They have left their home behind and their friends behind,” Hernandez said, but she remains optimistic about their new chapter together.
Looking ahead, Hernandez acknowledges the uncertainties of her son’s recovery, which will require lifelong medical monitoring due to the bullet fragments that remain in his body. However, she believes that moving to Austin has been the right choice, placing them close to the medical professionals who saved Garza’s life. Garza himself has learned not to take life for granted, and his mother frequently reminds him of the remarkable progress he has made. “I tell him, look at all the good things: You’re able to eat now. You’re talking. Your eyesight, your hearing, everything is good. You’re here with us. Look at that. We’re so blessed,” she said.
