TOMS RIVER — A Howell Township man was convicted this week on multiple felony charges stemming from a late-night shooting inside a Jackson Township home that endangered several adults and two children, Ocean County authorities said.
Gardin A. Guevara-Umanzor, 47, was found guilty Jan. 29 following a four-week jury trial before Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer. The jury determined that Guevara-Umanzor unlawfully entered a New Prospect Road residence on Oct. 13, 2024, pointed a handgun at one of the occupants and fired multiple rounds inside the home while it was occupied.
According to the verdict, Guevara-Umanzor was convicted of burglary, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Prosecutors said police were dispatched to the home around 1:20 a.m. after a 911 call reported an intruder firing a handgun. Investigators determined that after the first shot was fired, one of the occupants attempted to disarm Guevara-Umanzor, leading to a struggle during which additional shots were discharged. Other occupants also tried to restrain him before he dropped the weapon and fled.
Authorities later recovered the handgun at the scene. Guevara-Umanzor was found and arrested at a neighboring residence without incident and has remained lodged in the Ocean County Jail since the night of the shooting.
Guevara-Umanzor is scheduled to be sentenced March 27. Prosecutors said he faces up to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison on the burglary conviction under the No Early Release Act, up to 10 years on each weapons offense, up to five years on each child endangerment count and up to 18 months on the aggravated assault charge.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer credited Senior Assistant Prosecutor Victoria Veni and Assistant Prosecutor Emma Hurst for trying the case, and praised the investigative work of the Jackson Township Police Department, New Jersey State Police, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit and the prosecutor’s office trial team.
