William Robert McArthur, a 64-year-old male, White/Caucasian, was working a late-night Lyft shift in Panama City Beach, Florida, when his final ride turned deadly in the early hours of May 24, 2025. Deputies responded around 2:24 a.m. to Wildwood Road near Emerald Cove Street and found William Robert McArthur in the roadway with a gunshot wound; his vehicle, bearing evidence of blood and bullet holes, was discovered roughly 100 yards away. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he died. Obituary records later confirmed the identity and age of William Robert McArthur of Panama City Beach.
Investigators determined that William Robert McArthur had been transporting a teenage passenger through the Lyft platform when the shooting occurred. A witness described a man fleeing the scene, scaling a fence, and firing as he ran into the nearby Woodlawn neighborhood. Detectives followed leads from Lyft trip records, which pointed them to a 17-year-old Bay County resident, Brayden Raul Gomez, who was located on Dorothy Avenue and taken into custody soon after.
According to arrest records and reporting, Brayden Raul Gomez admitted during a post-Miranda interview that he shot William Robert McArthur from the back seat—striking him in the back of the head—after taking offense at comments he believed referenced his mother. Investigators also reported recovering the firearm that Gomez said he discarded in a trash can and noted blood-stained clothing collected during the search.
Authorities charged Brayden Raul Gomez with an open count of murder in the killing of William Robert McArthur. As the case moved forward, public statements from law enforcement and multiple news outlets emphasized the swift identification and arrest of the suspect, while obituary and memorial postings remembered William Robert McArthur as a longtime local whose life ended during a routine rideshare fare.
