Suspect in fatal shooting is charged with murder
Premeditated first-degree murder was among the charges contained in the criminal complaint filed Tuesday afternoon against the suspect arrested in connection to Friday morning’s fatal shooting of a 42-year-old man.
“The defendant kicked in the victim’s door and shot him,” a prosecutor from the Yuma County Attorney’s Office stated during the hearing in Yuma Justice Court.
The other charges filed against 50-year-old John Nate Gardea Sr. were aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and misconduct involving weapons, both of which are also felonies.
Gardea, who was being represented by Attorney Daniel Tapetillo of the Yuma County Public Defenders Office for the purpose of this hearing, was arraigned before Justice of the Peace Greg Stewart.
In addition to ordering that Gardea’s bond remain as the $1 million cash-only level it had previously been set at, Judge Stewart also scheduled his next court appearance for 4 p.m. on June 12 for a preliminary hearing.
Stewart, however, informed Gardea that his case would likely go before the grand jury, and if it did, the hearing would not be held.
Tapetillo had also given an opportunity during the hearing to address his client’s bond, to which he informed the court that he planned to request a conditions of release hearing at a later date to try and get the bond lowered to an amount Gardea’s family might be able to afford.
Gardea was taken into custody by Yuma police officers at approximately 5:30 p.m. that same afternoon without incident at the Knight’s Inn, which is located at 2730 S. 4th Ave.
According to Yuma police, officers were dispatched to the address at approximately 3:20 a.m. in reference to an altercation with shots being fired.
When officers arrived on scene, they found a male, now identified as 42-yearold Edward Rowland Jr., who had been shot.
Rowland was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center, where he died at approximately 6:22 a.m., some three hours after the shooting.