Alberto Hernandez, a 38-year-old Hispanic man from Lake Worth, Florida, known to some as "Kaki," died on November 10, 2019, after being shot in his own home.
The fatal encounter began in the early hours of the morning when 19-year-old James Deon Bryant Jr. arrived at the Hernandez residence on Cambridge Street around 2 a.m. He was let inside by Mr. Hernandez’s 15-year-old daughter. Later that morning, Mr. Hernandez and his wife awoke and discovered Bryant inside the teenager's bedroom.
Upon being found, Bryant pulled out a gun and reportedly said he "wasn't going to go to jail."
Mr. Hernandez immediately closed the bedroom door and shouted for his wife to call 911. A gunshot was then fired, prompting Mr. Hernandez to charge at Bryant. A physical struggle broke out between the two men, and during the scuffle, both were shot. Mr. Hernandez was struck in the torso, while Bryant sustained a gunshot wound to his leg. Mr. Hernandez was able to walk out of the room before he collapsed on the hallway floor.
When Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies arrived around 11 a.m., they found both men suffering from gunshot wounds. Mr. Hernandez was rushed to Delray Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Bryant, who had fled the house and jumped a fence, was located nearby and also taken to a hospital for his injuries.
The day after the shooting, James Deon Bryant Jr. was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and a weapons offense in connection with Alberto Hernandez's death. The case proceeded to trial, and in August 2022, a jury convicted Bryant for the fatal shooting.
