Share and Follow
A 19-year-old man from Putnam County has been convicted of first-degree murder following a 2023 shooting incident, as announced by the State Attorney’s Office. The verdict was reached after a two-day trial.
On Wednesday, State Attorney R.J. Larizza’s office disclosed that Ramon Gomez-Hernandez Jr. was found guilty of several charges, including first-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a juvenile delinquent.
State Attorney Larizza commented on the case, stating, “The defendant is part of a violent group of young people who show an absolute disdain for the sanctity of life. This group of ‘Young Guns’ is responsible for a significant portion of the gun violence we witness today. They must be removed from our communities for as long as the law allows.”
This story continues below.
The case stems from an incident on June 30, 2023, when deputies from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a shooting on Kane Road in East Palatka.
According to the SAO, on June 30, 2023, deputies with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call that a person was shot on Kane Road in East Palatka.
Deputies said one victim, identified as Rubli Perez-Lucas, was taken in a vehicle to a hospital along with another victim, while a third gunshot victim stayed at the scene and was later taken to a hospital.
Perez-Lucas died before arrival at HCA Florida Putnam Hospital.
During the investigation, witnesses told detectives that multiple people in a vehicle pulled onto Kane Road to fight an undisclosed person.
According to the sheriff’s office, Perez-Lucas and several people intervened, and a fight ensued between the groups. Shortly after, a second car pulled into the area, and its driver, identified as Gomez-Hernandez, pulled a gun out and started shooting at the groups fighting, police said.
Detectives said that they located a crashed white Dodge Journey, one of the vehicles witnesses described at the scene, to which they located a ski mask, a handgun and a cellphone. DNA testing by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement identified those items as belonging to Gomez-Hernandez.
Gomez-Hernandez was later arrested on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024.
“This was a difficult investigation due to the lack of cooperation from those associated with Ramon Gomez-Hernandez,” Sheriff Gator DeLoach said at the time. “At every step there was intentional efforts to thwart this investigation, but justice prevailed due to the plethora of forensic evidence obtained all linking this wannabe gangster to the murder of Rubli Perez-Lucas and the attempted murder of two others.”