A Texas career criminal has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a 25-year-old father of five outside a 7-Eleven in Austin, a case that has renewed criticism of Travis County District Attorney José Garza and his prosecutorial policies.
Caleb Anthony Jenkins, described by police as having a lengthy criminal history, is accused of shooting the victim outside the convenience store last year and then fleeing the scene. He is currently being held in Travis County Jail on a murder charge.
Critics argue the killing may have been preventable, noting that Garza’s office previously dismissed or declined to prosecute three separate gun-related charges against Jenkins dating back to 2022. Jenkins was also arrested in 2023 on a domestic violence charge and later failed to appear in court. Most recently, he was re-arrested and released after his bond was increased.
Garza, a Democrat elected in 2020 without prior experience as a prosecutor, has faced ongoing criticism from some law enforcement groups and victims’ families who describe his approach as “soft on crime.” They accuse his office of slow-walking certain cases and adopting lenient charging and plea-bargaining policies.
In 2023, the family of Doug Cantor — who was killed in a 2021 mass shooting on Austin’s Sixth Street — publicly criticized the pace of prosecution in that case, saying they believed it had been placed on the “back burner.”
Dennis Farris, president of the Austin Police Retired Officers Association, previously said Garza’s office appeared to be acting “more like defense attorneys than they are prosecutors,” alleging that victims’ families were not being adequately consulted before plea deals.
Garza received support during his 2020 campaign from a political action committee backed by billionaire philanthropist George Soros. Campaign finance records show Soros contributed to the Texas Justice & Public Safety PAC, which in turn supported Garza’s bid for district attorney.
Supporters of Garza have argued that overall reported crime in Travis County has declined during his tenure and that his policies reflect broader criminal justice reform efforts. Opponents, however, contend that dismissal rates are politically driven and could pose risks to public safety.
The Travis County District Attorney’s Office did not respond to a request for comment regarding the Jenkins case.