Palmetto man found guilty of killing 18-year-old during graduation party
A Palmetto man could face up to life in prison for fatally shooting an 18-year-old during a graduation party at a local nightclub, prosecutors say.
Manatee County jurors found 23-year-old Jose Alfredo Gomez guilty of manslaughter by culpable negligence with a firearm and aggravated battery with great bodily harm with a firearm in the 2023 killing of Fernando Garcia-Nunez, according to court records.
Under Florida’s 10-20-Life law, which sets mandatory prison terms for crimes committed with firearms, Gomez faces a minimum of 25 years and a maximum of life. Circuit Court Judge Frederick Mercurio scheduled sentencing for Oct. 22 at 1:30 p.m.
An attorney representing Gomez did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
According to an arrest report, the charges stem from a June 2023 shooting during a graduation party in the parking lot of The Hall, a Palmetto nightclub at 1330 U.S. 301 N. that has since closed. Prosecutors said Gomez slapped a woman during the event, sparking a confrontation. When Garcia-Nunez intervened, Gomez pulled a gun and shot him once in the chest, investigators said.
Paramedics rushed Garcia-Nunez to HCA Florida Blake Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Detectives said they arrested Gomez hours later and initially charged him with second-degree murder with a firearm.
Gomez was on probation for a 2021 misdemeanor battery conviction at the time of the shooting after getting into a fight at a gas station, court records show.
“Gomez never should have been in possession of a gun in the first place, and then he committed this crime,” Assistant State Attorney Dickey Hough, the lead prosecutor, said in a statement. “It is our hope that his criminal behavior is punished severely and that the victim’s family receives justice for the death of their loved one.”
The trial took place from July 28 to 30 at the Manatee County Judicial Center in downtown Bradenton, according to court records.
