Wichita man charged with murder in local hibachi chef’s deadly stabbing on July 8
Prosecutors on Monday charged a Wichita man accused of killing a local hibachi chef earlier this month with second-degree intentional murder, court records show.
Shawn Gomez, 30, of Wichita, was found fatally stabbed in the upper chest on the porch of a home in the 2600 block of East Harry, between I-135 and George Washington Boulevard, on July 8. Wichita police said previously that Gomez was stabbed during a fight with another man, 38-year-old Pedro Juan Hernandez Jr.
After a passerby called 911 about the stabbing around 1:55 p.m., Gomez was taken in critical condition to a Wichita hospital but he didn’t survive. Police last week announced Hernandez’s arrest in connection with the killing.
Hernandez, who is self employed in the moving services industry, made a first appearance in Sedgwick County District Court on Monday, where he was advised of the murder charge and appointed defense counsel. He is due back in court for his next hearing on July 25. His bond is $500,000, court records show.
Lawyers listed for Hernandez in court records did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment Monday.
“In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty,” the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office said by email.
Family members and friends of Gomez told The Eagle last week that he was a talented hibachi chef who took a professional interest in cooking as a teenager and had planned to open a food truck later this year. Last year, Gomez opened a business taking orders and cooking out of at-home kitchens. He has two children.
Police have not said what the fight that led to his death was about. Gomez and Hernandez knew each other but weren’t friends, family has said.
