Man charged in connection with 2016 Altamonte Springs shooting death

Police: Man charged in killing of Orlando Sentinel employee during drug deal

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – More than two years after a man was fatally shot outside an Altamonte Springs apartment complex, an arrest has been made in connection with his death, police said.

Joshua Carter is charged with second-degree murder after police said he killed Jose Gomez, 36, outside the Lotus Landing apartment complex in Altamonte Springs in February 2016.

Neither Gomez nor Carter lived at the complex, but court paperwork explains how the two met for a suspected drug deal and how a tenant found Gomez's body under a car shortly thereafter.

Jose Gomez

Detectives determined that Gomez had been in contact with Carter just minutes prior to his death, along with evidence showing Carter in the same area when Gomez was killed. A warrant was issued for Carter's arrest Thursday.

Carter was identified as a person of interest just days after the murder, and police picked him up for a parole violation. But Carter was not officially charged in the case until now.

At the time of the murder, many neighbors at the apartment complex were worried to speak on camera over retaliation. Now, that fear is gone.

"We finally have peace of mind," resident Cara Sorokowsky said.

Her apartment is directly above where Gomez was found.

"It was a long night, out of the ordinary for the area," she said. "It's great to know they finally caught somebody and charged him."

Gomez worked as a distribution representative at the Orlando Sentinel for nearly 10 years and told his girlfriend that night he "was needed for an emergency job," according to police.

"We were all stunned and deeply saddened when Jose was killed two years ago," Avido Khahaifa, publisher and editor-in-chief, told News 6.

Carter has previously been charged with robbery, aggravated battery, possession of cocaine and several other charges.

Carter is being held at the John E. Polk Correctional Facility.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Altamonte Springs Police Department at 407-339-2441.


About the Authors:

It has been an absolute pleasure for Clay LePard living and working in Orlando since he joined News 6 in July 2017. Previously, Clay worked at WNEP TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he brought viewers along to witness everything from unprecedented access to the Tobyhanna Army Depot to an interview with convicted double-murderer Hugo Selenski.

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