A judge Wednesday sentenced a teenage member of the “Young Guns” gang to life in prison for a 2023 shooting at a planned fight that killed one and maimed two others.
A Putnam County jury found Ramon Gomez Hernandez, 16 years old at the time of his crimes, guilty in April of murder and attempted murder for the shooting in Palatka.
Because he was a juvenile at the time, the sentence will be reviewed in 25 years, a Seventh Judicial Circuit State Attorney spokesperson said.
The shooting occurred in June 2023 after Gomez-Hernandez drove up to a planned fight on Kane Road in Palatka and shot three people. One of the victims died while being rushed by a witness to the hospital. The two other victims were seriously injured and are still dealing with long-term effects.
“A 16-year-old made a murderous decision and now reaps the consequences,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said. “There is no justification for this crime – only contempt bathed in grief.”
The vehicle Gomez-Hernandez drove to the scene crashed and was left behind. When detectives executed a search warrant on the vehicle, they found a cell phone belonging to Gomez-Hernandez, a black ski mask and a handgun with ammunition still in it. The ammunition matched the cartridge casings found at the scene of the shootings.
“The defendant is part of a violent group of young people who show an absolute disdain for the sanctity of life,” Larizza said following the conviction. “They must be removed from our communities for as long as the law allows.”
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