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Jaden Isaiah Garay, 25, of Weaverville, North Carolina, was sentenced Thursday, March 13, to 24 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury and discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, according to information from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina. 

Garay stole a loaded semiautomatic handgun and several loaded ammunition magazines from his relatives' home after an argument with them in September 2023, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He shot at a vehicle on Interstate 26 nears Mars Hill, but did not hit any occupants, one of whom was underage. 

He then drove to Mars Hill, abandoned his vehicle and took the gun with him, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. He walked through a neighborhood, broke into a home while the homeowner was inside, threatened to shoot her dog and told her to get on her knees. 

The homeowner refused, telling Garay if he was going to shoot her, he would have to shoot her while she was standing. He tried to start a vehicle in her garage, but was unsuccessful and left the house, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. 

Garay continued walking around the neighborhood, eventually finding a U.S. Postal Service employee who was delivering mail in her Jeep Wrangler. He told her he needed her car and pointed the gun at her, but when she moved the vehicle to get out of the car, Garay shot her in the face, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. 

She fell out of the vehicle and Garay climbed inside, driving away and leaving her with a serious gunshot wound to the head. 

Later, Garay drove the stolen Jeep onto Interstate 40 and was spotted by law enforcement. A chase ensued on I-40 through McDowell and Burke counties. Garay eventually exited the interstate onto Burkemont Avenue in Â鶹´«Ã½. He ended up on a dead-end road and fled into the woods. 

Law enforcement surrounded the area overnight and Garay was taken into custody the next morning on Sept. 6.

The postal worker had life-threatening injuries, some of which are permanent. She still faces a lengthy recovery, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. 

When he was arrested, Garay told reporters outside the Burke County Sheriff's Office that he was sorry. 

“I’m really sorry, and hopefully she can forgive me,� he said at the time of his arrest. “I wasn’t in a clear state of mind and my regards go to the family. Hopefully they can forgive me.�

The U.S. Attorney's Office said the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the Madison County Sheriff's Office, the Burke County Sheriff's Office, the McDowell County Sheriff's Office, Mars Hill Police Department, Marion Police Department, Â鶹´«Ã½ Department of Public Safety, Burke County EMS, Burke County Emergency Management, the U.S. Marshals Service and the North Carolina Department of Correction K-9 Team helped with the case. 

It was prosecuted by the US Attorney's Office in Asheville.