Jury begins to deliberate Tyler Rambo trial

The fate of a man accused of firing a gun at City Park in Coeur d’Alene during a July 4 celebration before he was shot 14 times by police is in the hands of a jury.

Prosecutors and the defense in the Tyler Rambo trial finished their arguments Thursday afternoon.

Rambo went to City Park in 2019 armed with a revolver ready to get revenge on a man who had assaulted him the week prior, according to Kootenai County prosecutors.

According to Rambo’s defense attorney, he spent the morning with his family at the park and stayed to watch the fireworks with his then 7-year-old sister. When he ran into the man who had assaulted him the week prior, Rambo was scared and the two men got into a fight that ended in Rambo shooting his gun into the air to get away, the defense argued.

Dazed and confused, Rambo ran to get away from his assailants only to realize he was surrounded by police, the defense argued. He put his hands up and motioned for the officers to hang on seconds before he was tased causing his gun to discharge, the defense argued.

The attorney presented their closing arguments to the jury and Judge Cynthia Meyer on Wednesday morning after more than a week of presenting evidence.

Kootenai County Deputy Prosecutor Molly Nivison argued Rambo “caused total pandemonium” that day in the park and it all started with his “deliberate choice” to bring a his .357 revolver.

She argued Rambo picked a fight with Jawaun Anderson, still embarrassed he had been beat up by Anderson about a week prior. Rambo wouldn’t have gotten into the fight if he didn’t know he had the revolver, the prosecutor argued.

“He used that gun and tried to shoot Jawaun in the face,” Nivison said.

Rambo is charged with second-degree attempted murder and aggravated assault for the initial fight with Jawaun Anderson and Jazmin Smith.

Smith allegedly had a gun pointed at her face as well and was in fear for her life, according to her testimony last week.

During her testimony there was debate over how drunk Smith was that day but Wednesday Nivison argued that didn’t matter because Smith remembers the feeling of having a gun in her face.

After the fight Rambo ran. A police officer testified he made eye contact with Rambo who was then running away from the scene. Rambo denied the encounter ever happened.

The prosecution then argued Rambo ran from police and refused to comply with commands to “drop the gun” and “get on the ground” before being tased. While being tased the prosecution alleges he intentionally fired on officers who then returned fire, striking him at least 14 times.

From the moment the officers formed in a semi-circle around Rambo to when the shot was fired, Nivison argued he was displaying “assaultive” behavior.

Rambo was charged with three counts of aggravated assault or battery of a peace officer for the confrontation with law enforcement. The charge stems from the idea that officers were assaulted when Rambo brandished the gun and refused to follow their commands.

The prosecution argued that brandishing includes pacing while holding the firearm, pointing it at officers and pulling the trigger.

During his closing arguments, Rambo’s attorney Richard Baughman argued brandishing does not include pointing the gun at officers or firing the gun otherwise those specifics would have been included in the charge.

The defense argued Rambo was having a fun day with his family at the park when he ran into Anderson, who was ready for a fight. While Rambo admits to throwing the first punch, he said the tables quickly turned and he was on the ground in the fetal position being hit and kicked by Anderson and his friends.

Rambo said that’s when he pulled out his .357 revolver and fired one shot into the air. When Baughman cross-examined Smith last week, he pointed to statements she had made to investigators saying the gun was fired in the air, as evidence she was an unreliable witness.

He also argued Anderson was an unreliable witness. While testifying at the trial last week, Anderson admitted to lying under oath.

With ears ringing, Rambo ran away from the fight, and his assailants, whom he assumed were chasing him, the defense argued.

Only when Rambo stopped at the basketball courts to get his bearings did he realize there were a handful of police officers behind him, he said.

Rambo said when he saw the cops he turned around and put his hands in the air but was scared to drop the already cocked gun. He attempted to de-cock the gun but was hit with a stun gun while in the process, causing him to lose his grip on the hammer, Rambo told the court.

That’s when Rambo’s gun went off and police returned fire, striking him more than 14 times. Rambo’s legs had to be amputated at the hip due to his injuries.

The defense argued to the jury that there is not enough evidence to prove Rambo assaulted the officers just by brandishing the weapon and that, with his hands and gun in the air, Rambo was not putting the officers in imminent danger.

Throughout his closing statement, Baughman reminded the jury that the burden is on the prosecution to prove Rambo committed the crimes he’s accused of beyond a reasonable doubt.

Rambo entered a not guilty plea on all counts.

In the seven days of court proceedings, the jury heard testimony from Anderson and Smith, along with bystanders, police officers, experts and Rambo. The jury began deliberating at about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday and ended for the day just before 5 p.m. The jury will resume deliberations early Thursday.