In a quiet Wareham, Massachusetts neighborhood on November 27, 2023, a dispute between a father and son escalated into a fatal encounter. Robert Gomes Jr., a 61-year-old Black / African American male, was shot and killed at his home on Main Street. The tragedy unfolded following a seemingly minor disagreement with his son.
The incident began when Robert Gomes III, 26, asked his father to unlock a shed so he could take a photograph of a power washer.
The request led to an argument, during which Robert Gomes Jr. allegedly became angry and threatened his son. In response, Gomes III reportedly retrieved a firearm he had assembled himself from parts purchased online, a privately made firearm often referred to as a "ghost gun" due to its lack of a serial number. He then shot his father.
Emergency services were dispatched to the residence at approximately 3:35 p.m. after receiving several 911 calls, including one from Gomes III himself, reporting the shooting. Upon arrival, police and medical personnel found Robert Gomes Jr. on the back porch with gunshot wounds to his chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
When officers arrived, they found Robert Gomes III in the driveway with his arms raised. He informed them of the location of the firearm, which was found in a black bag on the back deck. Investigators recovered the ghost gun, which had an obliterated serial number, as well as several shell casings from the yard. It was later revealed that Gomes III had learned how to build the weapon by watching online instructional videos.
Robert Gomes III was taken into custody and subsequently arrested. He was charged with murder, firearm-armed assault to murder a person 60 or older, assault and battery with a firearm, possession of a firearm without an FID card, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, and carrying a loaded firearm without a license. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was held without bail. In March 2024, a Plymouth County grand jury indicted him on all charges. This was not the first time police had been called to the home for domestic issues involving the father and son.
