Raymond Burton, a 65-year-old White male, was killed in Holdrege, Nebraska, on February 21, 2019. That afternoon, police responded to reports of shots fired around 2:30 p.m.; investigators soon identified multiple crime scenes, including separate units at the Sunrise View Apartments where Burton and 54-year-old David Rogers were found fatally shot.
A third victim, 64-year-old Doyle Morse, was gravely wounded but managed to call 911, prompting the rapid law-enforcement response that linked the locations and victims.
Officers identified Manuel Gomez as the suspect and took him into custody after a brief pursuit the same day. Authorities announced his arrest on two counts related to the shooting deaths and additional charges tied to the wounding of Morse, with early reports placing the initial response at 416 Logan Street and subsequent discovery of the apartment-complex scenes.
In the months and years following the shootings, the case moved through the courts with extensive focus on Gomez s mental competency. He was first found unfit to stand trial in 2019, later restored to competency, and proceedings began in 2021 with the defense signaling an insanity plea. The court ultimately found Gomez not responsible for the killings by reason of insanity, and he has remained in state psychiatric care under a treatment plan at the Lincoln Regional Center.
Public records and memorial notices confirm Burton s identity and death date, noting he was a longtime Holdrege resident born in 1953, with family roots in Kansas, and that per his wishes no public services were held.
