A California man, aged 24, is facing charges for allegedly murdering his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son in a horrific incident that unfolded in front of the mother. The suspect, identified as Sergio Colin-Gomez, was arrested on Tuesday and is now facing charges of murder and assault on a child under eight resulting in death. The victim, a young boy named Ivan Martinez-Alvarado, was reportedly shot at close range in the forehead.
The Santa Clara District Attorney, Jeff Rosen, expressed his deep sorrow and outrage over the tragic incident. He stated that while the court will do its duty, no legal action can compensate for the loss of an innocent child’s life. The focus now is to ensure that the accused is unable to harm anyone else.
The incident came to light when the Santa Clara Police Department responded to a 911 call around 2 a.m. on Tuesday. The call was made from an apartment complex on Poinciana Drive, approximately eight miles west of San Jose. The caller, later identified as the victim’s mother, reported that her boyfriend had shot her child and then fled the scene.
Upon arrival, the police encountered Gomez walking on a nearby sidewalk. Although he initially complied with the officers’ instructions to stop, he later resisted arrest but was eventually apprehended.
The police then proceeded to the apartment where they found the young victim, Ivan, lying on his bed with a gunshot wound to his forehead. A handgun was recovered from the room. Ivan was pronounced dead at the scene.
The mother, who is currently pregnant with Gomez’s child, told the police that she and her son were watching television when Gomez entered the room around 11:15 p.m. He wanted to discuss their relationship, accusing her of infidelity. Despite the argument, they decided to continue their relationship and went to watch a movie in Gomez’s room.
According to the mother, about an hour into the movie, Gomez started demanding a ‘yes or no’ answer from her. Confused and scared, she locked herself and her son in the child’s room. Gomez allegedly broke the door, left the room, and returned with a firearm. He continued to demand a ‘yes or no’ answer, and then the gun went off, shooting the child in the head.
The Santa Clara DA’s office added that as Gomez pointed the gun close to the child’s head, the mother tried to grab the weapon, and that’s when the fatal shot was fired. After the shooting, Gomez reportedly fled the scene on foot and was later apprehended by the responding officers.
Gomez made his first court appearance on Thursday, where he was ordered to be held without bond.