Cedar Park Shooting Victim's Family Poised To Donate Her Organs

CEDAR PARK, TX — The mother of a young woman gunned down alongside her father by an estranged relative on Saturday is poised to allow for her organs to be harvested for donation once the victim is taken off life support, officials confirmed.

In a telephone interview with Patch, Cedar Park Police Department spokeswoman confirmed reports of the imminent procedure. In confirming the reports, Inns strove to achieve an equilibrium between respecting the family's privacy while confirming information that is the nature of her work as a police spokeswoman..

"I want to respect the family as much as possible, but I can confirm those reports," she told Patch in speaking of Hailey Michelle Reyes, 23, of San Antonio, who was shot by her father’s estranged brother outside a Cedar Park home on Saturday. Shot in the head by the attacker, the young woman has been on life support since the incident.

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"It's a matter of saying goodbye at this point," Inns added, referring to grieving family members faced with the agonizing decision to end life support for the young woman. "The family has the organ donations set and ready to go."

Cedar Park detective Kristy Whitley alerted Inns about the imminent decision to harvest Hailey's organs at 5:55 p.m. on Tuesday, the police spokeswoman told Patch.

Reyes remains hospitalized at St. David's Round Rock Medical Center. Her father, 45-year-old Michael Garcia, did not survive the shooting. The identified shooter, identified as Elijah Jared Stone, 47, was said to have been estranged from Garcia for more than a decade before unleashing his violence. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after shooting his victims multiple times, police said.

The type of firearm used in the attack has not been disclosed. Inns told Patch the shooter lived alone in the Austin community of Steiner Ranch. A subsequent search of his apartment by police has failed to yield clues as to his motive, Inns reiterated on Tuesday.

"Truth be told, a detective told me they may never know a motive," Inns told Patch in a previous interview. "This brother had been estranged from his brother for over ten years, which gives this an element of toughness in finding motive. They're trying to figure out why now, what triggered this. That's the biggest question mark right now, and may be the hardest piece of the puzzle."

A GoFundMe has been launched to help defray funeral and medical costs. As of Tuesday evening, the drive had raised $16,560 toward a $25,000 goal. Those wishing to assist the family with monetary donations can click here.

Grief-stricken friends and family members wrote messages of condolences on the GoFundMe page in expressing their sadness.

"Praying for comfort for all of you and for God to move mightily on your behalf," Rachel Shannon Parish wrote. "Hailey was a precious soul who always had a beautiful smile on her face!"

"Hailey, you are loved and missed," added Isabel Suttner. "You brought great joy to a lot of people's lives."

One of Hailey's contemporaries included shared memories between the two young women in her post: "I love you, Hailey," Selena Suttner wrote. "Thank you for 'scaring' me into our friendship. I wouldn't have imagined 5 years ago that we would have gone through graduations, weddings, puppies, across state lines, and through so many difficult times together. I love you so much, Hailey."

>>> Photo of Hailey Michelle Reyes with her father, Michael Garcia, via GoFundMe, a Patch promotional partner