Dispute Over Tyson Loss Leads to Shooting of Man

A man was shot to death when he tried to calm his son after Mike Tyson lost his heavyweight title, according to police in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Authorities were looking for the victim’s 21-year-old son Monday.

Howard Gomes, 42, died early Sunday of a gunshot wound to the chest.

Police said witnesses reported that he was trying to stop his son, Keith Howard Lewis, from starting a fight with another man. The witnesses said Lewis was angry that Tyson lost his heavyweight title to Evander Holyfield.

Gomes and his brother, Joseph, had invited friends to their home Saturday night to watch the fight on TV. When Tyson lost, a guest made a teasing remark about Tyson’s defeat. Lewis became outraged and started an argument with the man.

Joseph Gomes said his brother intervened and told his son to go upstairs and cool down. He said Lewis went upstairs and his father followed, and they began fighting in a hallway.

Joseph Gomes said he took a pistol away from Lewis, and Howard Gomes left the house, walking down the street to regain his composure.

When he returned, Howard Gomes called his son’s mother in Rhode Island, hoping she could calm Lewis. When he tried to put his son on the phone, the line was accidentally disconnected, which enraged Lewis, who began shooting, then fled, according to Joseph Gomes.

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A high school football player faces a felony battery charge in Gallup, N.M., for tackling a referee from behind after being ejected from a game.

Gilbert Jefferson, 18, of Wingate High remained jailed on charges of aggravated battery on a school employee. He was arrested during Wingate’s game Friday night against visiting Crownpoint.

Jefferson could face up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Referee Allen Bainter was discharged Sunday from a hospital where he was treated for a concussion after being tackled and knocked unconscious.

Jefferson, a running back and linebacker, had been penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. He protested and went to the sidelines. Moments later, he ran back onto the field and struck Bainter from behind.

Soccer

Goalie Ricardo Pinto of Atletico-Parana was hospitalized with a brain injury after being attacked by rival Fluminense fans in a first-division game at Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

Enraged fans stormed onto the field after Atletico had beaten Fluminense, 3-2.

Fans threw rocks, batteries and radios at Pinto, a former Fluminense player. He was struck on the head and carried into the locker room, where he received eight stitches.

Pinto later was taken to a hospital, where tests revealed fluid on the brain. He was then flown to a mobile intensive care unit for further testing and possible surgery.

Boxing

Sports books in Las Vegas took a beating Saturday on the Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield heavyweight fight, which drew so much money on Holyfield that the odds dropped from 25-1 to 5-1 at fight time in many books.

“Everybody I’ve talked to was basically pasted,” said Jay Kornegay of the Imperial Palace.

Though the total loss won’t be known for quite some time, books figure to have lost several million dollars on the bout that ended with Holyfield winning 37 seconds into the 11th round.

Bookmakers had posted long odds in hopes of attracting betting action on Holyfield in the wake of four quick knockout victories by the former heavyweight champion.

Baseball

Rick Honeycutt’s $500,000 option for 1997 was exercised by the St. Louis Cardinals, and Atlanta Brave outfielder Luis Polonia filed for free agency. A total of 108 players have filed for free agency and 15 more potentially are eligible to file by Thursday’s deadline. . . . New York Met pitcher Paul Wilson will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder today to repair a small tear. . . . Former San Diego Padre infielder Phil Clark and former Baltimore Oriole pitcher Bob Milacki have signed one-year contracts with the Kintetsu Buffaloes in Japan’s Pacific League. . . . The Philadelphia Phillies named Hal McRae their new hitting coach, less than two weeks after passing him over for the team’s vacant managerial position.

Tennis

Former world doubles champion Guy Forget was forced to withdraw from the ATP Tour doubles tournament in Hartford, Conn., because of a recurring knee injury. Forget, of France, and his Swiss partner, Jakob Hlasek, would have been seeded third.