The Unfillable Void: A Family's Enduring Heartbreak After a Protest Turns Deadly

In a Las Vegas courtroom, a space usually defined by cold, hard facts, something far more visceral unfolded. It was the raw, almost unbearable grief of parents, two years on, still reeling from a loss that carved a permanent 'hole inside' them, as Jorge Gomez Sr. so poignantly put it. You could feel it in the air, a heavy, silent presence as he and his wife, Sheila Gomez, testified in the civil trial surrounding the 2020 police shooting of their son, Jorge Gomez Jr.

Sheila Gomez, her voice sometimes cracking, sometimes dissolving into sobs that echoed in the quiet room, spoke of a son who was, in her words, 'my baby.' She remembered the last time she saw him alive, on June 1, 2020. She had gone to a protest, a demonstration against racial injustice, but left early. Jorge, her son, he stayed. And then, well, then her world shifted irrevocably. The phone call came later that night, a call no parent ever wants to receive, shattering the fragile peace of their home.

Her testimony painted a picture of a kind, loving son, a 'gentle giant,' as many described him. He was a good kid, really, always caring for others. And yes, he was politically engaged; he truly believed in speaking out against injustice, his parents explained. This wasn't some abstract concept for him; it was deeply felt, a part of who he was. They spoke of a young man who was active, who wanted to make a difference, even if it meant stepping into the fray of a protest.

But the defense, representing the police officers involved, naturally had a different narrative to explore. They pressed Jorge Sr. on his son's online posts, his fervent belief in the Second Amendment, his decision to carry multiple firearms that day. And it’s true, Jorge Jr. was armed; he had a handgun and a rifle, which, you know, complicated things. The questioning aimed to highlight the potential threat, the context that led to the confrontation with officers. But for his parents, that was just noise compared to the gaping wound left by his absence.

The family’s lawsuit alleges, of course, that the police used excessive force. They argue that Jorge Jr. posed no immediate threat when he was shot by four Metro officers near the federal courthouse during that tumultuous summer night. But for the Gomez family, the legal arguments, the cross-examinations, the procedural back-and-forth—it all pales in comparison to the lived reality of their grief. Losing a child, especially under such circumstances, it truly leaves an unfillable void. As Jorge Sr. articulated, it's 'a hole inside you that is impossible to fill.' And honestly, what parent wouldn't feel that way? It's a wound that time, perhaps, never fully heals.