In the early hours of a Sunday morning in Altoona, Pennsylvania, a gathering to watch a highly anticipated boxing match turned tragic, ending the life of 28-year-old Kai Lamar Carter. On May 3, 2015, Carter was at a party when a long-standing dispute with another man, Jorge Luis Gomez III, escalated into a fatal confrontation. The argument, which began inside a residence, spilled outside, where the disagreement turned physical.
The altercation culminated in Gomez producing a firearm and
shooting Carter. At least one of the bullets struck Carter in the leg, severing his femoral artery. Despite the grave injury, Carter managed to flee the immediate scene but collapsed and succumbed to massive blood loss about a block away from the house where the shooting occurred. He was found a short time later by authorities who had been called to the area following reports of shots fired.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Jorge Luis Gomez III, then 35 years old, turned himself into the Altoona Police Department. He was subsequently charged with criminal homicide. During the investigation, police conducted a search of the home where the party took place and discovered three pounds of marijuana. It was reported that Gomez was cooperative with the authorities upon his surrender and appeared remorseful for his actions.
Jorge 'Macho' Gomez III stood trial for the death of Kai 'Castro' Carter. His defense attorney argued that Carter was the aggressor and that Gomez fired his weapon because he felt threatened. In September 2016, a Blair County jury acquitted Gomez of first and third-degree murder as well as voluntary manslaughter. They did, however, find him guilty of involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and carrying a firearm without a license.
