‘A part of history’: Vigil honors man killed by Las Vegas police during BLM protests — PHOTOS
As she drew a message on the Las Vegas Boulevard sidewalk Tuesday evening, Kat Kalling paused before she answered a question about Jorge Gomez’s legacy.
“He’s a part of history,” said Kalling, a Las Vegas musician and activist. “He was murdered during a peaceful protest. His life was short, but look what he’s accomplished. He was just out here supporting Black people.”
Gomez, 25, who was armed, was shot and killed by police in Las Vegas on June 1, 2020, while protesting the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, in May of that year in Minnesota. Gomez was protesting in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
On Monday, a federal jury awarded $6.5 million to Gomez’s parents and estate.
Friends, family members and supporters of Gomez gathered Tuesday evening for a vigil near the steps of the Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse. The site is close to where Gomez was shot.
The gathering featured music, including a violinist, and poetry readings. Close to 30 were in attendance at the outset of the vigil, including Gomez’s mother, Jeanne Llera.
“My emotions tonight are mixed,” Llera said. “There were five officers involved in the shooting and only two officers have been held accountable. I don’t know what our next steps are, but I don’t believe we’re finished fighting for justice.”
Jury finding
The civil jury’s finding ruled against some officers and in favor of others.
Metropolitan Police Department officer Ryan Fryman was found liable for excessive force and battery claims in Gomez’s death. Fryman, one of four Metro officers who shot at Gomez, was found liable for $5 million in damages. He was a sergeant at the time of the shooting.
The jury also found Metro Detective John Squeo liable for violating Gomez’s First Amendment rights. Squeo, who fired a beanbag shotgun at Gomez before the fatal shooting but did not fire a fatal shot, was found liable for $1.5 million in damages.
The jury voted in favor of three other officers who fired shots: Dan Emerton, Andrew Locher and Vernon Ferguson.
Jurors also elected not to award punitive damages and voted in Squeo’s favor on battery and excessive force claims.
“I think Fryman was held accountable and Squeo was held partially accountable, but the other three were not held accountable,” Llera said. “We’re not going to settle for two out of five. This all just happened, so we don’t know what happens next, but I know, personally, that we have to continue fighting for change.”
Llera, who lives in Florida, said she was set to return to her home on Wednesday.
Llera said she doesn’t believe all police officers are “bad,” but said she feels that the five officers involved in her son’s shooting made poor decisions that night.
On the sidewalk next to where the vigil was set up, Kalling drew several messages with colored pieces of chalk. One read “Rest in Power, Jorge.” Another read “No More Police Violence.”
“Jorge could have been any one of us,” Kalling said. “He’s all of us. That could have been anybody on the street.”
Defense attorneys declined to comment after the verdict Monday and Metro did not respond to a request for comment. The trial lasted for two weeks.
The Clark County district attorney’s office in 2021 decided not to prosecute the Metro officers who fired rounds.
Dale Galipo, one of the attorneys for the family, said Monday that Metro would be liable for the total amount of damages. The officers are not expected to pay the damages themselves, he said.
He said he thinks some of the money may come from the department directly and some from insurance.
Sister: ‘I wanted more personal accountability’
Jazmin Gomez, Jorge Gomez’s sister, was in Las Vegas for the trial, but she had to leave to return to her home in Maine over the weekend.
During a phone interview Tuesday, she said she was confused by the jury’s findings.
“I obviously understand why the two were found liable, but the rest is confusing to me,” she said. “I was hoping the officers would have to pay something out of their own pockets, even if it were just $1,000 or something. I wanted more personal accountability. Three officers got off scot free.”
Jazmin Gomez said she will always remember her brother’s quiet and kind nature.
“During COVID, he was the glue of our family,” she said. “He was a very mild-mannered person. He was quiet and kind and he loved nature and animals. The things and people that couldn’t protect themselves, he was an advocate for them.”
Llera has previously said funds awarded in the lawsuit would go to a nonprofit in honor of her son and would support animal rights and homeless outreach.
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.
