He got in a gunfight with Pasco police. The violence didn’t stop there

A Pasco man who’s been locked up since September for firing on police to avoid arrest was convicted Tuesday of assaulting another jail inmate.

Edwin Espejo, 31, was found guilty of second-degree assault by a Franklin County Superior Court jury.

The trial lasted four days, with two days of witness testimony.

The verdict was returned about 15 minutes after an alternate juror was called in to replace another panel member.

That came after the presiding juror asked Monday afternoon what they should do if one juror was “incoherent” and unable to participate in deliberations, said Deputy Prosecutor Laura Mapes.

Judge Cameron Mitchell questioned all of the jurors individually Tuesday morning to determine if it was a personality conflict or another issue, then decided to dismiss the woman. He instructed the panel to start fresh when discussing the evidence.

Espejo faces between six months and one year in county jail for the assault. Sentencing tentatively is set for Sept. 4.

His trial for the police shooting — which involved a total 28 gunshots exchanged between both sides — is scheduled Nov. 13.

Pasco police were called to a South Ninth Avenue home just before midnight Sept. 16 for a domestic disturbance with yelling and fighting.

Espejo, who was living in the basement with his family, didn’t want police in the house. The convicted felon also made it clear he was not going back to jail.

Officers tried to negotiate a peaceful ending for his kids, who had been sent outside. But when an agitated Espejo was lightly hit with two Taser probes, he reached for his Ruger pistol and fired off seven shots, according to police and court documents.

Officers John D’Aquila and Matt Griffin and Reserve Officer David Dillsworth responded by firing a total of 21 shots from their Glock pistols.

The father of six was hit several times, but survived his injuries.

The three officers all escaped injury, though a bullet passed through D’Aquila’s loose pant leg.

Espejo is charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count each of second-degree unlawful possession of a gun, fourth-degree assault with domestic violence and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence.

He was in the Franklin County jail on $2,500,000 bail on June 10 when he and two other men went into a cell and beat a rape suspect.

Video footage shows multiple inmates enter the cell during a 15-minute period, though investigators were only able to identify three assailants, according to court documents.

Espejo, Adrian Tejeda-Sandoval and Efren P. Torres all hit Richard Vasquez with closed fists, documents said.

While jail staff often has brought Espejo into court in a wheelchair, he was not using one during the jail assault, Mapes said.

“I’ll admit I was a little bit concerned (in Espejo’s trial) because when we played the video for the jury, it was harder to see the actual assault then it is on a computer screen. The projection of it made it less clear, so I wasn’t sure if they were able to see it or not,” Mapes told the Herald. “Admittedly this was one that was definitely not a for sure guilty, even though it was clear to me.”

“I do think that it was the right verdict,” she added.

Tejeda-Sandoval and Torres will be tried together on Sept. 5. They also face one count each of second-degree assault.