Mexican Consulate Requests Inquiry in Broward Police Shooting of Mexican Man

The Mexican consulate has asked for an investigation into the shooting of a Mexican citizen by a Broward County sheriff's deputy. The shooting of German Gomez, 22, looked "like a real case of abuse of authority, and it's devastating," David Kubiliun, a lawyer for the consulate in Miami, said Thursday. Gomez, who was in critical condition at North Broward Medical Center, was shot once in the head in the parking lot of a Pompano Beach apartment complex Wednesday evening by a deputy responding to a report of an attempted burglary. Gomez's family said he and his cousin, Javier Dominguez, 21, who had both recently moved from the southern Mexican province of Chiapas, mistakenly went to the wrong apartment when they returned home from work. After a deputy put him on the ground in the parking lot and handcuffed him, Dominguez said he heard a gunshot, looked to Gomez and saw him lying in blood. Dominguez "started crying when he saw his cousin," said Joe Buchanan, a former assistant U.S. attorney who is part of the men's legal team. "He started fearing for his own life." Dominguez said he did not understand what the deputies were saying. Kubiliun said his clients surrendered peacefully and that a language barrier between them and the deputies may have been a factor in the shooting. [more] and  [more]

• Shooting account disputed [more] and [more]