Bridgeport police say racing led to the crash that killed former state Sen. Ed Gomes in December 2020.

Clive Henry, 20, of Bridgeport, has been charged with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, reckless endangerment and reckless driving.

"When I found out about it yesterday, I was shocked because honestly we haven't heard anything else about the case since it happened," said Latoya Johnson, Gomes' niece.

Police say Henry was racing another car on Boston Avenue when he collided with Gomes' car near the intersection of Noble Avenue. They say Gomes was turning into the KFC parking lot at the time. He suffered head and neck injuries and died nine days later at the age of 84.

"I go by his gravesite all the time," Johnson told News 12. "I miss his advice. He was my mentor through a lot."

Henry went before a judge at Bridgeport Superior Court Tuesday. He did not enter a plea and the case was continued until March 24. Henry is out on $75,000 bond.

Johnson said she has mixed emotions about the accusations against him.

"It makes me feel like we deserve justice. But, you know, he was a kid. He made a bad decision, and this is what happened," said Johnson.

Henry's arrest warrant lists witness statements and surveillance footage as evidence he was racing. Investigators estimate he was going 66 mph at the time of the crash and say the speed limit there is 25 mph. The warrant says the car racing Henry managed to avoid hitting Gomes by driving into oncoming traffic. That driver has not been identified.

"Every time I go by that place, I think about his memory," said state Rep. Charles Stallworth, a friend and former colleague of Gomes.

Gomes represented the 23rd District in the state Senate from 2005 through 2012. He won the seat back in a special election in 2015, then retired in 2019.

"Sen. Gomes was a good person. Beyond being a good legislator, he was a good person, and you don't want anyone to lose his or her life in maybe a careless accident," Stallworth told News 12. "These are not streets designed for racing. They're designed for transportation, people getting from one place to another."