​Suspect Accused of Firing Handgun, Barricading Inside Azusa Home Pleads No Contest

Written by AARON CASTREJON 
CityWatch Editor 

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LOS ANGELES - An Azusa man was sentenced to more than 11 years in state prison Monday after pleading no contest to several charges stemming from a June 6 shooting with police.
 
Edward Gamino, 35, pleaded no contest to one count of assault with a semi-automatic weapon on a peace officer and two counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling or vehicle, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokesman Ricardo Santiago.
 
Gamino was sentenced to 11 years and four months in prison.
 
The bizarre incident unfolded June 6, 2021 in the 800 block of East Foothill Boulevard near Azusa Pacific University and Citrus College around 11 a.m. A suspect was seen with a firearm. Azusa Police officers initially could not find a suspect, according to Azusa Police Captain Robert Landeros in a previous interview.
 
Around Noon, a suspect was seen reportedly firing a handgun into the air and fired at an Azusa Pacific University employee in a truck. No one was hit by gunfire.
 
During an area search, officers located a suspect, later identified as Gamino. A foot chase ensued inside the Foothill Vista Mobile Home Park, 840 E. Foothill Blvd. Officers exchanged gunfire with Gamino, who took refuge in an occupied mobile home, Landeros said. 
 
The 88-year-old mother of Audrey Schmedes was able to escape with the help of neighbors.
 
“I got a message from her neighbor, a voicemail saying that ‘you mom is with me. Her unit was broken into and there’s somebody in there now,” according to Audrey Schmedes in a previous interview.
 
Schmedes called her mother’s home number and a man who was likely Gamino answered the phone.
 
“After he said hello a couple of times I said ‘hello’ back and I said ‘can I like to speak to the lady who lives there’ and he said ‘she’s outside,’” Schmedes said.
 
Gamino was soon taken into custody. He was found wearing a makeshift gunbelt he used to holster the weapon. A handgun was recovered, Landeros said.