Rambo found not guilty of attempted murder
Accused Fourth of July shooter Tyler Rambo testified in his trial Tuesday. Image via Zoom.
COEUR d’ALENE — A jury has found accused Fourth of July shooter Tyler Rambo not guilty of second-degree attempted murder.
Rambo, 20, was also found not guilty of aggravated assault.
He was found guilty of three counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer.
The 12-person jury began deliberating around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday and read the verdict around 6:15 p.m. Thursday.
Prosecutors said Rambo, who was 18 at the time, attempted to shoot a man during a physical altercation and pointed the gun at someone else before running from law enforcement.
Police said Rambo fired a gun at them after he was hit with a Taser. After Rambo’s gun went off, police shot him 14 times.
He lost both legs as a result of the shooting.
The events that led up to the incident began about a week earlier, when Rambo met Jawaun Anderson at a house party on the north side of Spokane.
The pair reportedly had a physical fight at the party. Anderson said he won.
Prosecutors said Rambo had revenge on his mind when he brought a loaded revolver and extra ammunition with him when he went downtown with his family on July 4.
Defense attorney Rick Baughman said Rambo carried the gun as a precaution, like many gun owners who carry concealed weapons, not because he intended to harm anyone. Rambo planned to spend the day with his family, Baughman said.
When Rambo came across Anderson near Independence Point, a fight broke out.
Rambo threw the first punch, he said. Then someone hit him in the face, and someone else hit the back of his knee, he said, causing him to fall.
Curled up on the ground, Rambo said he feared for his life. Punches and kicks landed all over his body, he said, and his head was bouncing off the concrete.
Six witnesses testified that they saw multiple people kicking and punching Rambo while he was on the ground.
“I was going to lose consciousness and I wasn’t going to wake up,” Rambo said in court Monday. “I thought I was going to die.”
He said he pulled out his gun and fired into the air in order to stop the attack.
Prosecutors said Rambo also pointed a gun at Spokane resident Jazmin Smith, who was dating Anderson at the time.
Smith said in court last week that she was “tipsy” during the altercation. Private investigator Chris Sullivan testified Tuesday that Smith told him she was so drunk that her friends had to wake her up after the fireworks.
No other witnesses said they saw the gun pointed at Anderson or Smith. Several testified that they saw the gun pointed in the air when it went off.
Rambo was charged with second-degree attempted murder for allegedly shooting at Anderson and with aggravated assault for allegedly pointing a gun at Smith.
Idaho Code defines assault as an unlawful attempt or threat to commit a violent injury upon another person, combined with the apparent ability to do so.
Aggravated assault is an assault that involves a deadly weapon or instrument.
Jurors found Rambo not guilty of both charges.
After the fistfight, Rambo bolted from the scene, gun in hand. Police said he ran from them, then refused to comply with commands to get on the ground and drop the gun.
Rambo reportedly had his hands in the air when Coeur d’Alene police shocked him with a Taser. He was falling when the gun in his hand went off.
The jury found Rambo guilty of three counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, a crime punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison.