WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A 20-year-old man is facing a charge of manslaughter after police say he accidentally shot and killed his friend while inside a vehicle in West Palm Beach.
According to the arrest affidavit, Xavier Gomez was in the rear passenger seat of a vehicle driving along Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard when he pulled out his semiautomatic handgun. The gun discharged, striking the front passenger seat and hitting 23-year-old Jason Cano-Ortega in the back.
The four other occupants in the vehicle told police that the discharge of the gun was accidental, according to the arrest documents.
The occupants rushed Cano-Ortega to JFK North Hospital, and he was later transferred to St. Mary’s Medical Center, where he died from his injuries.
Gomez is making his first court appearance Monday morning on one charge of manslaughter by culpable negligence.
