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Wife Of Slain ICE Agent Accused In Office Shooting Believes He Was Acting In Self-Defense

MURRIETA (CBS) — The wife of an immigration agent -- killed after he allegedly shot his supervisor half a dozen times -- believes her late husband was acting in self-defense.

Balbina Garcia spoke with CBS2 and KCAL9 reporter Amanda Burden Saturday to, as she said, "clear my husband's memory."

It was her first interview following the office rampage Thursday evening. Officials said Ezequiel Garcia tried to kill his supervisor Kevin Kozak after Kozak gave Garcia a bad job review.

Perry Woo, another agent in the office, reportedly got into an intense struggle for the weapon and wrestled with Garcia for his firearm before fatally shooting him. Kozak, meanwhile, continues to recover in the hospital.

Mrs. Garcia thinks news reports and witness accounts are all wrong.

Of her husband, she says "he was a good man, a good husband. He was a good father. He never missed coming home."

On the day of the shooting, she said the day was as routine as any other. "I talked to him around 4:30," she recalls, "'hey, how are you"' And he said he was just working. I told him we're going to have barbecue ribs tonight and he said, 'Alright.' And that was it."

A close friend of the Garcia's also believes the self-defense theory. Says Albert Galindo, "Ziek was an excellent shot. If he wanted to kill Mr. Kozak, Mr. Kozak would not be here right now [or] in the hospital."

He adds, "He must have felt his life was in danger. He did not want to kill Mr. Kozak. He shot him in non-vital organs. He just wanted to stop him from doing whatever was going to happen in that office."

Burden asked Mrs. Garcia is her husband ever showed any signs of anger. She gave an emphatic "No...no."

Mrs. Garcia acknowledges her husband wanted a transfer closer to Murrieta and away from the Long Beach office. But she doubts having his request denied would have caused him to turn violent.

She said, "He was a hard worker. He was working for immigration for 24 years."

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