Hung jury forces mistrial in case of man accused of carrying assault rifle near schools

AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — The trial of a man accused of having a loaded assault rifle near two Amarillo schools ended in a hung jury.

Noel Aysaiah Garcia was tried last week for two counts of attempted capital murder of multiple persons.

According to court documents obtained by ABC 7 News, Garcia drove around Oak Dale Elementary School in September 2022 with a loaded assault rifle, and multiple loaded magazines “with the intent to cause the death of two or more individuals.”

The same day, Garcia is accused of doing the same thing outside Caprock High School.

Testimony began Monday. It went to the jury on Thursday. The jury deliberated for roughly three hours but was unable to decide on a unanimous verdict. That means the case ends in a mistrial.

Garcia also accused of threatening to kill Randall County Court at Law No. 1 Judge James Anderson, and two Randall County deputies in May 2023.