Gilo pleads not guilty to attempted murder, other charges

Published 7:01 am Friday, February 28, 2020

A jury trial is scheduled for Aug. 17

A suspect in a Feb. 16 burglary that sent one man to the hospital made his initial appearance on Thursday in Mower County District Court.

Cham Nygare Gilo, 21, of Austin pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted murder – with intent – not premeditated, first-degree burglary – possess dangerous weapon/explosive, first-degree burglary – assault person in building/on property, possess firearm and firearm ammunition – conviction or adjudicated delinquent for crime of violence – and second-degree assault – dangerous weapon, all felonies.

Cham Nygare Gilo, 21

Court documents state that in the early morning hours of Feb. 16, police responded to a report of a shooting in the downstairs apartment of a residence in the 100 block of 13th Street Northeast in Austin. Officers found an adult male laying face down on the floor convulsing and shaking. There was blood on the victim’s head and on the floor and an actively bleeding injury on the back of his head.

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Officers rolled him over and found a spent shell casing under his chest. He was semi-conscious, disoriented and having trouble breathing, but was able to tell police he believed he had been shot.

The victim told police he heard a knock on the door and an unknown subject pushed his way in when he answered it. He described the subject as wearing all black, including a black facemask, and carrying a handgun. He said the subject repeatedly hit him in the head with the gun and he was shot after he ran into his bedroom.

Police located a bullet hole in the wall outside the victim’s bedroom; the bullet passed through the wall and came out the other side of the living room.

One of the victim’s roommates gave corroborating information.

The victim was transported to the hospital, where a CAT scan revealed he had not been shot and that the head injury, which required staples to close, was the result of being beaten.

While at the hospital, the victim again spoke to police and said the mask worn by the assailant was a gas mask. He also said the gun discharged while he was being assaulted.

Police canvassed the area near the crime scene and found surveillance footage from a doorbell video camera that appeared to show the suspect fleeing the area in a white passenger car. The footage was sent to outside agencies; the Albert Lea Police Department recognized the vehicle as a 2017 Toyota Camry, driven by a juvenile male, they had dealt with in December. They provided the registration information to the Austin Police Department, who located the vehicle at the registered address in Austin.

Officers spotted a gas mask in plain sight inside the vehicle and obtained a search warrant for the vehicle and the residence. Police spoke with the juvenile, a 17-year-old male, who they learned had been driving the vehicle. The juvenile said he had been at a friend’s house when he received a call from “Fooley” asking for a ride around midnight. He said he picked “Fooley” up and indicated he had a gas mask, but did not say anything about a burglary. He said he drove “Fooley” to McDonalds and returned to his friend’s house.

The juvenile gave officers the pass code to his phone, where they saw Facetime video messages to and from “Fooley” at 11:37 p.m. and 11:57 p.m. on Feb. 15. There was also a 12:44 a.m. Facetime call from “Jaiden.” Police then matched phone numbers for “Fooley” to a phone registered to Gilo’s girlfriend, 20-year-old Jaiden Pamela Schumacher. Officers searched social media and found that Gilo went by the nickname “KOA Fooley.”

Police eventually made contact with Schumacher at her residence in the 100 block of 10th Street Northwest. Schumacher admitted Gilo was in the house and she and Gilo were both arrested.

Police obtained a search warrant and found the following in the residence:

• Black Tommy Hilfiger jacket with blood on it in the bedroom;

• Bloody paper towels in the garbage;

• Box of American Eagle/Federal Ammo and one Sig Sauer .40-caliber round under a pillow;

• Smith and Wesson .40-caliber magazine with 13 bullets (same brand as that found at the victim’s residence) under the same pillow;

• A pair of black Air Jordan shoes in the entryway; and

• Black sweatpants and black windbreaker pants in the bedroom.

The firearm was not located.

A detective spoke to the juvenile, who indicated he received a Facetime message from Gilo to pick him up at Schumacher’s residence. When he arrived, he sent a Facetime message to tell Gilo he was there. He said he believed he was driving Gilo to the address of one of the victim’s roommates, who he said had stolen $5,000 from Gilo. He indicated Gilo put on a gas mask that belonged to the juvenile before they got to the residence. When they arrived, Gilo went in and the juvenile waited until he came back, after which he dropped him off at Schumacher’s residence and went back to his friend’s house.

He said he believed Gilo was going to fight the victim’s roommate and was not aware of a gun until Gilo sent him a Facetime message on Schumacher’s phone. He claimed Gilo told him he entered the residence and started hitting the victim’s roommate. He then said Gilo told him he dropped the gun and it discharged a round when he picked it up.

Gilo’s pre-trial has been scheduled for Aug. 7, while a jury trial is scheduled for Aug. 17.