Sheriff Brian M. Hess announces the arrest of a Southeast man following an early-morning shooting in the Town of Southeast.
On Sunday, November 23, 2025, at approximately 4:40 a.m., the Putnam County Sheriff's Office was notified of a shooting that had occurred in the parking lot of the Towne Centre Plaza. Responding deputies learned that a local taxi driver had been involved in a dispute over a fare with a male customer. During that confrontation, the suspect allegedly produced a firearm and intentionally discharged a round into the passenger compartment of the taxi while the driver was seated in the driver's seat.
The Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Unit responded and processed the scene, recovering a .45 caliber shell casing and obtaining video footage of the incident. A suspect was quickly developed, and members of the Narcotics Enforcement Unit and the Patrol Division established a perimeter around the suspect's residence in the Town of Southeast.
Investigators from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) interviewed the victim and obtained a search warrant for the suspect's residence, vehicle, and person, including collection of a gunshot residue (GSR) kit.
The search warrant was executed without incident, and the suspect, Luis A. Galvez, 37 years of age of Southeast, was taken into custody. During the search, investigators located a .45 caliber pistol consistent with the evidence recovered at the scene. BCI members subsequently interviewed Galvez, who made statements admitting his involvement in the incident.
As a result of the investigation, Galvez was charged with the following felonies:
Galvez was arraigned in the Town of Southeast Court and remanded to the Putnam County Correctional Facility in lieu of $150,000 cash bail or $300,000 bond.
Sheriff Hess commended the coordinated efforts of the Patrol Division, Narcotics Enforcement Unit, Crime Scene Unit, and Bureau of Criminal Investigation in bringing the incident to a prompt and safe resolution.
"This was an extremely dangerous incident that could have had a tragic outcome," Sheriff Hess said. "Thanks to the quick work of our patrol deputies and investigators, the suspect was identified, a firearm was recovered, and he was taken into custody without further risk to the community."
