Jury split in Clyde fatal shooting case

FREMONT — A man charged in connection with the death of a man in a Clyde apartment last year has been found not guilty of aggravated murder. Jermaine Howard, 26, 900 block E. State St., Fremont, was also found not guilty of murder and felonious assault. The jury, which returned its verdicts on Dec. 6, did find Howard guilty of improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation with a firearm specification. This charge is a second-degree felony. Howard's sentencing is slated for Jan. 31. He is currently out of jail on bond. The incident Just after 8 p.m., on Oct. 21, 2021, police dispatchers received several 911 calls about gunshots and fighting at the Laurel Hurst Apartments. Officers arrived in the 200 block of E. Commerce St. and saw a 2007 Ford Explorer on its side. The vehicle apparently crashed when Howard and Deondre R. Strange, 28, allegedly tried to run from the scene, according to a Clyde police press release. Joshlyn Bridges, 31, was found inside the residence with serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Strange's case has not gone to trial yet. He faces charges of aggravated murder, murder, improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation with a firearm specification and three counts of felonious assault. A jury trial for Strange is scheduled to start on Feb. 7.