Woodland resident Geovanny Yabet Gomez has been identified as the victim of a second fatal shooting that occurred within three days last week, neither of the Woodland homicides resulting in an arrest as of Tuesday night.
Gomez, 35, was a father of three children, according to a GoFundMe webpage seeking donations to cover the family’s funeral services.
“For those who were fortunate enough to know him, know that he was always willing to help those in need,” relatives wrote. “He was a lovefull and playful cousin and brother who knew how to cheer people up even when they were not up to it, his contagious laugh lightened up the entire room.”
Yolo County coroner’s officials say Gomez died of multiple gunshot wounds to his torso and extremities about an hour after being dropped off at the Woodland Memorial Hospital emergency room Friday evening.
Shortly before that, police said, the occupants of two vehicles were involved in a pursuit and shootout that began at College Street and Oak Avenue and ended in the area of Gum Avenue and Fifth Street, where officers reported finding an abandoned car and multiple bullet casings.
Whether shots were fired from just one vehicle or both remains under investigation.
“We’re still trying to figure that one out, whether there was an actual exchange or it was one-sided,” Woodland police Sgt. Brett Hancock said Tuesday. He said Gomez had been driving his own vehicle with two passengers, while the suspect or suspects in his death fled on foot after ditching their car.
Whether it was one of his passengers or someone else who took Gomez to the hospital remains unknown, as the person did not stick around to answer questions, Hancock said.
Gomez’s death occurred just two days after another Woodland man, 31-year-old Arnulfo Bermudez Jr., was fatally shot on Community Lane, where his girlfriend said he was jump-starting a car battery for a friend.
“At this point, they don’t appear to be connected. There is no information to support that right now,” Hancock said of the ongoing investigation, which also involves detectives from the Yolo County Gang Task Force because of the victims’ past associations with gang members. “But they’re not ruling it out.”
Yolo Superior Court records show Gomez was known to local law enforcement, his adult criminal record dating back to 1998. His dozen court cases since then have mostly involved drug-related charges but also included drunken driving, possession of a dagger and spousal battery.
Gomez’s most recent arrest occurred on March 30, a trespassing charge for which he was due to appear in court on July 20.
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene