Uhland graduation party shooting: Teen charged with murder out on bond

Teen charged with murder out on bond

A teen charged with murder in a shooting at a graduation party in Uhland is out on bond. The victim's mother is furious.

CALDWELL COUNTY, Texas - A teen charged with murder in Caldwell County is now out on bond, after his bond was reduced twice.

The victim’s mother is furious.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Grieving mother speaks out after man accused of murdering her son has bond reduced twice

What they're saying:

Shannon Vasquez said her anger hasn’t faded.

"I’m still furious about the situation," Vasquez said.

She said she is holding on to something bigger though.

"I just got to know that we have a bigger God and he's going to do more than what my anger is going to do," Vasquez said.

This week, Vasquez said she got the call.

"It's like reliving the day that I got the phone call that Andrew had been shot. It is completely upsetting in every, every way," Vasquez said.

Mother upset that her son's accused murderer has lowered bond

A grieving mother said the justice system is failing her. The man accused of murder for killing her son has had his bond reduced twice.

She said she knew this could happen.

"I knew just in a matter of days, you know, weeks that there was going to become a time where they, you know, that bond money was, you know, put up and he was going to be released," Vasquez said.

Now, she said, the reality of it is tough.

"They're living this day to where they get to comfort him again and tell him that everything's going to be okay and I'll never have that," Vasquez said.

The backstory:

Back in May, what started as a graduation party at a home in Uhland ended in gunfire.

Investigators said a fight broke out between two girls, Andrew Farias’ aunt tried to break it up, then 18-year-old Chad Lee-Gardner hit her in the head with a pistol. When Farias stepped in, investigators said Lee-Gardner fired two shots. Farias was found dead on the lawn.

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Lee-Gardner ran but was later arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His bond was initially set at a million dollars, then reduced to $350,000 and then again to $200,000.

Lee Gardner’s attorney wrote in court paperwork that the bonds were excessive, oppressive, and beyond the financial means of Lee-Gardner. He requested the bonds be lowered, and a judge signed off.

What's next:

Lee-Gardner is now out on bond with conditions of house arrest and a GPS monitor.

Vasquez said that does little to ease her fears.

"Being on house arrest and being on an ankle monitor doesn't mean anything. Those are things that you agree to follow rules, and coming from someone who murdered my son, there was a lot of rules in life that he should have followed and he chose not to," Vasquez said.

She said she worries about safety for her family and others.

"As much as I don't like to say it, I understand this man is innocent until proven guilty, but it's not an assault, it's not a DWI, it's a murder charge and there's so much more on the line," Vasquez said.

She said she is confident about one thing: "There's going to come a time where he's going to walk in that courtroom and he's not going to walk back out," Vasquez said.

Caldwell County still has yet to reply to requests for comment.