In the late afternoon of September 14, 2022, a burst of gunfire shattered the ordinary scene at a McDonald's on Peninsula Boulevard in Hempstead, New York. When the chaos subsided, 19-year-old Hector Manuel Valencia Gomez, a male graduate of Hempstead High School, was found in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene in what was described as a brazen shooting in broad daylight, occurring just as local schools were dismissing for the day.
While police believe he was targeted, his family and friends have stated their belief that he was mistakenly identified by his assailants.
The investigation into the shooting stretched on for months before a significant break in the case. In March 2023, authorities arrested 20-year-old Gerson Hernandez in connection with the death. Law enforcement officials identified Hernandez as a member of the MS-13 gang. Investigators believe the killing was an act of gang retaliation carried out by a specific faction known as the 'Fulton clique.' Following his arrest, Hernandez was charged with second-degree gang assault and second-degree murder, to which he pleaded not guilty. Police have indicated that while Hernandez was present at the scene of the crime, he was not the one who fired the fatal shots.
Further investigation led to a second arrest in September 2023. An 18-year-old, whose name was withheld because he was a juvenile at the time of the incident, was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder. Authorities also publicly identified a third individual, Wilson Yanes, as a suspect in the killing and issued a warrant for his arrest. Police reported that members of the gang, including Hernandez, had fled to Maryland and Virginia following the murder and were also implicated in another homicide.
