Yuma jury deadlocks in 2024 shooting case, mistrial declared

A Yuma jury deadlocked after six days of deliberation in the case of 25-year-old Gabriel Taddei, who was on trial on two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm. The split panel forced a mistrial, leaving the criminal case unresolved and putting the next move in the hands of prosecutors.

The case stemmed from an October 2024 shooting near County 12th Street and East 40th Place. The victim, a 29-year-old man, was taken to Onvida Health and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The evidence at trial centered on a neighborhood confrontation that escalated into gunfire, turning an argument in a Yuma neighborhood into a serious felony case.

During opening statements, the defense said Taddei approached the victim with a gun but argued he acted in self-defense. The defense also said Taddei had been run over during the encounter and feared for his life. Jurors ultimately could not reach the unanimous verdict Arizona law requires in criminal cases, and the courtroom was left without a final answer on whether the state proved its case.

That matters because a mistrial after a hung jury does not clear Taddei, but it also does not convict him. The prosecution did not secure guilty verdicts, and the defense did not get a complete acquittal. The case now remains in limbo unless prosecutors decide to bring it back, work out a resolution, or leave it unresolved for the time being.

Under Arizona law, aggravated assault can include an assault committed with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument. In a serious criminal trial, the requirement for unanimity means one or more jurors can prevent a verdict and force the entire case into a legal reset. For victims and witnesses, that can mean more waiting, more court dates, and more uncertainty about whether the dispute will ever be fully resolved.

The mistrial also lands in a county that has seen this happen before. In 2022, a Yuma County murder case involving Izak Lucero also ended after jurors could not reach a verdict. For Yuma residents watching serious violent-crime cases work through the system, the result is a reminder that even after a full trial, a deadlocked jury can leave the most consequential questions unanswered.