Rambo sentenced to prison

COEUR d’ALENE — Fourth of July shooter Tyler Rambo will spend up to a decade in prison.

Almost two years after the shootings in City Park that cost him both legs, 20-year-old Rambo was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison for three counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer.

First District Judge Cynthia Meyer said Rambo would be eligible for parole after serving at least five years in prison.

He will also receive credit for time served.

Rambo was acquitted of attempted murder and aggravated assault in March but found guilty of the remaining assault charges.

Prosecutors said Rambo, who was 18 at the time, attempted to shoot a man during an altercation at City Park on July 4, 2019.

Rambo said multiple people ganged up on him during a fight and he shot into the air to stop the attack.

Witnesses testified that they saw multiple people kicking and punching Rambo while he was on the ground. Several said they saw the gun pointed in the air when it went off.

Coeur d’Alene police said Rambo ran from them after the initial gunshot and refused to drop his gun or get on the ground.

After police shocked Rambo with a stun gun while his hands were in the air, the gun in his hand went off. Police shot him 14 times in response.

Rambo lost both legs at the hips as a result of the shooting.

Nicole Ellis, Rambo’s mother, released police body camera footage of the shooting in March.

Rambo has been in jail for about 21 months, since his arrest in September 2019.

He reportedly spent the first nine months of his incarceration in solitary confinement.

In Idaho, any bail amount set at more than $500,000 requires a solitary confinement designation; Rambo was initially held on $1 million bail.

The state recommended a 20-year prison sentence for Rambo, with five years fixed.

Deputy prosecutor Rebecca Perez pointed to Rambo’s juvenile criminal record, which reportedly consisted of several misdemeanor charges, including possession of drug paraphernalia, fighting in public and disturbing the peace.

About a month before the events of July 4, Rambo was released from an 18-month stay in juvenile custody that was intended to be rehabilitative.

Perez said Rambo’s record indicates a lack of accountability.

“Mr. Rambo is a threat,” she said.

Richard Baughman, Rambo’s attorney, asked the court for a withheld judgment, arguing that Rambo has been punished enough for his actions.

“This is a man who’s lost more than his legs,” he said, adding that Rambo’s high-level amputation necessitates a special wheelchair.

Rambo has spent almost two years in the Kootenai County jail awaiting trial and sentencing — time Baughman said was made more difficult by the comparative lack of space and resources available in jail, as opposed to prison.

“I’ve heard it discussed in terms of dog years,” Baughman said. “One in the county is equal to seven in the penitentiary.”

Rambo told the court that July 4, 2019, was one of the best days of his life, until it took a drastic turn.

“That was an amazing day,” he said. “I got to hang out with people who meant the world to me.”

He said he recognizes the trauma his actions caused to witnesses and the community as a whole.

He added that he bears no ill will toward the police who shot him.

“I forgive the officers because I know they did what they believed they had to do,” Rambo said. “I just want to go home to my family.”

Meyer said the court received dozens of letters from Kootenai County residents who expressed support for Rambo.

“It’s not an easy decision,” she said to Rambo. “This is a tragic case that had tragic consequences for you and many others.”

Meyer said Rambo has matured in the two years since the shooting.

“I commend you for … growing up enough to understand how your actions affected others,” she said. “It’s a good sign.”

After handing down Rambo’s sentence, Meyer advised him to use his time in prison wisely.

“Think of how you want the rest of your life to be, how you want your story to unfold,” she said. “You get to write that story.”