Mother of Murdered 10-Year-old Sues California Department of Justice Over Botched Background Check

PR Newswire | October 19, 2022

“The State of California has now failed Wyland twice: first by neglecting to prevent a prohibited person from buying the gun he used to kill Wyland; and now again by refusing to disclose records that will reveal the State’s failure,” Alioto said.

Alioto represents Christy Camara Gomes, whose 10 year-old son Wyland was shot and killed by his own father, Victor Gomes. When Gomes applied to buy the gun he later used in the murder-suicide, he was under an active California restraining order prohibiting him from purchasing firearms. Notwithstanding the restraining order, the Department of Justice approved his background check, allowing Gomes to buy a gun he should never have been permitted to acquire.

Since 2021, Alioto has been tirelessly pursuing the Department of Justice, the State of California, and the Superior Court of Kings County to discover how and why the State allowed a man to arm himself while he was under an active court order preventing him from buying guns. Alioto has sued the Department of Justice for refusing to provide records that would explain the government’s error. (Christy Camara Gomes v. Dep’t of Justice (S.F. Superior Court), case no. 22-CPF-517886 [access the case by inputting the case number into “Civil Case Query” here].) Alioto has also sued the Superior Court of Kings County, the State of California, and the Department of Justice for Wyland’s wrongful death. (Christy Camara Gomes v. State of California, et al. (Kings Co. Superior Court), case no. 23CU0424 [access case records here].) Together, Alioto and Christy seek to hold the government accountable and ensure the errors that led to Wyland’s tragic death are never repeated.