TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Combing through a memory box, Melissa Gomez took out her son James’ yearbooks, pictures, and letters from his funeral. He passed away at 16 years old in June 2022 after he was shot at a neighborhood park in Catalina.
“I left everything still the same for him,” she said, describing his room, which pretty much looks exactly the same as when he was alive.
Everyday his family kisses his urn to keep his memory alive.
His aunt, Linette Gomez, approached the urn, saying, “We love you James.”
When talking about her son, Gomez said he was a happy kid, funny, and always smiling.
“Everybody loved him. He had a great personality, a big heart,” she said.
His family said he was shot while selling a vape pen. Those involved were caught on camera, leading to arrests. KGUN9 received court documents which detail the case since the arrests were made two years ago. Two people are now serving their sentences and three more face court hearings.
“It’s hard to do anything that you used to do in life that felt great when you had your family together,” Gomez said.
Gomez used to work for Banner Medical Center at all their campuses and after James’ death she left her job and didn’t work for a year and a half. The memory of him being in the hospital was tough for her because she worked at the same hospital he passed away in.
“I could no longer be around the beeping in the hospital,” she recalled.
Gomez goes to every court proceeding and hearing for James’ accused and convicted killers, which she said is a tough experience.
“I don’t like seeing the boys. They do stare at us, and sometimes smile,” she said.
In August 2022, six suspects were named and one tried to cross the border in Nogales before being arrested. Zachary Connor plead guilty and is now serving 16 years for second-degree murder.
Drake Nolan plead guilty to manslaughter and is serving 14 years. Joseph Nolan is going to go on trial in October. Paul Rodriguez has a hearing later this month. Richard Miller has a trial set for January 2025.
“It feels like a game of chess. You don’t know who’s going to win and you feel like you’re on the losing end because of their age,” Gomez said. “When that tragedy strikes, you should pay the consequences for your actions.”
James donated his organs and the family has received letters from the donor recipients. Many of the letters detail how their lives and health have improved.
“As I now have a new partner with me, which is my donor…” Gomez read from one of the letters.
Next month the family plans to dedicate a bench in his honor at Manzanita Park where James used to play baseball.
While James’ family got together at his home, they smiled and laughed, but still in the back of their minds was James.
“There’s really no justice for James because he’s gone,” Gomez said.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
