On a summer evening in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the life of 30-year-old Victor Gomez-Vargas, a Hispanic male, was brought to an abrupt and violent end. On July 18, 2022, in the 12000 block of Lorna Avenue, Gomez-Vargas was shot and killed in what authorities have described as a carjacking. The incident occurred at approximately 10:32 p.m., and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
His vehicle was stolen during the fatal encounter.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the Baton Rouge Police Department's Homicide Division launched an investigation into the death of Gomez-Vargas. While his vehicle was recovered a short time later, unoccupied in the 12200 block of La Margie Avenue, the suspect responsible for the homicide remained at large. For over two years, the case remained under active investigation as detectives worked to identify the person behind the deadly carjacking.
A significant breakthrough in the case came on December 18, 2024, when Baton Rouge Police Homicide Detectives announced the arrest of a suspect. Jayden Caston, 19 years old, was charged with the murder of Victor Gomez-Vargas. At the time of his arrest for the homicide, Caston was already in law enforcement custody, having been convicted in an unrelated carjacking case. He faces charges of first-degree murder, carjacking, and illegal use of a weapon in connection with the death of Gomez-Vargas. The investigation into the circumstances that led to the fatal shooting is ongoing.
