Son pleads not guilty to fatal shooting of father

Robert Gomes III, 26, of Wareham is facing multiple charges, including murder, following the fatal shooting of his father, Robert Gomes, Jr., 61, on Monday, Nov. 27.

Robert Gomes III was placed in police custody after the shooting and held without bail. 

He was arraigned in Wareham District Court on Tuesday, Nov. 28 where he pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, firearm-armed assault on a person 60 or over, assault and battery with a firearm, possession of a firearm without a license, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building and carrying a loaded firearm without a license, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office. 

His next court appearance will be on Wednesday, Dec. 27.

The shooting occurred at 1146 Main Street in West Wareham, where both men lived. According to the police report, Robert Gomes III called police at approximately 3:35 p.m., stating he had shot his father. When police arrived, Robert Gomes III was standing in the driveway with his hands up.

A Wareham paramedic declared Robert Gomes, Jr. dead on scene as a result of his injuries.

Robert Gomes III said he left the gun in a bag on the porch where the shooting occurred. According to the District Attorney’s Office the gun had an “obliterated serial number” and had been purchased from an unknown website.

Robert Gomes III had been living with his father for the past year, according to the report. In an interview with police, Robert Gomes III said his father had abused him since he was a teenager, including choking.

This is not the only time Wareham Police have responded to a call involving the two men.

On Dec. 30, 2022, Robert Gomes, Jr. had told police that his son came home drunk and was acting belligerent and “tearing up the house.”

Additionally, a neighbor told police they made calls in the past due to “excessive noise” coming from the Gomes residence, according to the police report. The neighbor had also been threatened by Robert Gomes III in the past.

According to the report, Robert Gomes III said on the day of the shooting, he had asked his father to unlock the shed on the property in order to take a photo of a power washer for a friend. 

Robert Gomes III explained to police that his father “made a face,” clenching his teeth and fists while heading toward the shed. 

According to the police report, Robert Gomes, Jr., who was unarmed, turned back around, pointed a finger and threatened to kill his son.

In response, Robert Gomes III retrieved his gun and shot his father twice in the torso. 

According to the police report, Robert Gomes III had placed the gun in a bag on the porch earlier that day because he did not want his father to smell the marijuana that was also in the bag.

He told police he only pulled the trigger once, but two rounds discharged from the firearm.

Main Street neighbor Jewell Novak said she was not familiar with the Gomes family, but she had walked by the home on the day of the shooting with her grandson and it had been quiet.

Novak said it was “disturbing” to find out about the shooting that would occur later that day.

She added some of the neighbors shared how they are “shaken up” by the news as they all live in what they believed to be a relatively quiet neighborhood.

Her daughter, Ashleigh Novak, said, “You don’t think it’ll happen to you or next to you.”