A Howell man has been found guilty in connection with a violent home invasion in Jackson Township in which authorities say he fired multiple shots inside a residence occupied by adults and children.
Gardin A. Guevara-Umanzor, 47, was convicted on Thursday following a jury trial on charges including burglary, multiple weapons offenses, aggravated assault, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Prosecutors said the jury found that Guevara-Umanzor entered a home on New Prospect Road in Jackson Township during the early morning hours of Oct. 13, 2024, pointed a handgun at one of the occupants, and fired multiple rounds into the residence while several adults and two children were inside.
Jackson police were called to the home around 1:20 a.m. after a 911 call reported an armed intruder firing a weapon inside the residence.
Investigators determined that after the first of five shots was fired, one of the occupants attempted to disarm Guevara-Umanzor, leading to a struggle on the ground. Authorities said he continued firing the handgun during the struggle, while other occupants also tried to intervene.
Guevara-Umanzor eventually dropped the weapon and fled the home, investigators said. The handgun was later recovered inside the residence.
Police located Guevara-Umanzor at a neighboring home, where he was taken into custody without incident. He has been held at the Ocean County Jail since his arrest.
Sentencing is expected later this year.