Man charged with 2nd-degree murder after police find body in shed
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POCATELLO — A 29-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing of a man on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation.
Around 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, Demetrius Anthony Gomez of Fort Hall was arrested on North Harrison Street in Pocatello after a manhunt involving various local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Court documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com show the Fort Hall Police Department received a 911 call around 6:45 p.m. Monday, from a person who said her cousin had witnessed the shooting of a man later identified as Tyrone Diaz, 45, of Fort Hall.
Later in the 911 call, the witness spoke with dispatch. Court records show the witness told police she witnessed Gomez shoot Diaz the face with a shotgun. The witness told police the shooting occurred within the Gomez home on B Street.
After police arrived, they had to force their way into the home. During their search, police found a large amount of blood in a bedroom. Police said there was blood on the carpet and bedroom door, including evidence that indicated a gunshot wound to the head.
Police were unable to find a body within the home. They followed what appeared to be a blood trail leaving the home and onto the front porch, according to court documents. The blood continued into the yard. Police say that it appeared there was an attempt to cover the blood trail with a rake.
The trail ended near a shed. Officers entered the shed to find a person lying on the floor of the shed, wrapped in a rug. The person was later identified as Diaz. Authorities said Diaz was “cold to the touch” and appeared to have been shot in the face.
Police later discovered shotgun shells burning in a large bonfire. They also found the rake in the yard.
Later in the evening police and an FBI special agent interviewed those who were in the home at that time.
Witnesses told police Gomez was intoxicated. Diaz was in the bedroom looking through DVDs when Gomez entered. Gomez was described as being angry towards Diaz. According to court documents, the witnesses heard Gomez say, “I’m going to shoot you,” and moments later heard a loud bang.
Witnesses saw Diaz and described him as being hunched over and not moving. Gomez was holding a dark-colored firearm that was described as being about two feet long.
Gomez reportedly retrieved truck keys from Diaz and instructed one of the witnesses to pull Diaz’s truck around the home and back into the yard, according to court documents. The witness waited in the truck for a moment but then left the area.
A federal warrant for Gomez’s arrest was issued Tuesday and was signed by Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald E. Bush in Boise. The warrant was for second-degree murder, based on evidence presented in a probable cause statement.
Gomez was being held at the Bannock County Jail on a U.S. Marshal’s hold Thursday. Bond information was unavailable.
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