A Maryland man faces first-degree murder charges in an incident stemming from a parking spot dispute.Photo:AP Photo/Brian Witte
AP Photo/Brian Witte
A man has been charged with hate crimes for a mass shooting that killed three people last month over a parking dispute in Annapolis, Md., according to authorites.
Charles Robert Smith faces 42 counts, including three counts of first-degree murders and hate crimes related to the killings of Mario Mireles, 27, Christian Segovia, 24, and Nicolas Mireles, 55, theOffice of the State’s Attorney for Anne Arundel Countyannounced on Monday.
Maryland’s hate crime law is applicable to crimes involving another person’s race, color, religious beliefs, sexual orientation and gender, theAssociated Pressreports. Smith, 43, is White and the victims were Latino. Both of their families have resided on the same street for many years, and there is allegedly a history of racial slurs allegations against one of the fatal victims, according to the AP.
The state attorney’s office said Smith is being held in custody without bond. He was previously charged with second-degree murder before the charges were upgraded. If convicted of first-degree murder, he faces life in prison and no possibility of parole.
Suspect Charles Robert Smith, who faces three counts of first-degree murder related to a shooting in Annapolis, Maryland.Annapolis Police Department
Annapolis Police Department
Mario Mireles reportedly went over to the Smith house to discuss the matter with Shirley Smith, per the documents, which escalated into an argument, and when Smith arrived, the confrontation got physical, police say. Smith allegedly took out a gun and shot both Mireles and Segovia, the AP reports.
According to the state attorney’s office, three others suffered gunshot wounds, but survived and an additional three people were allegedly assaulted. The survivors include Rosalina Segovia, 29, Paul Melvin Johnson III, 28, Enner Joel Cananles-Hernandez, 26, Judith Abundez, 26, Harcinia Ruiz, 58, and Mario Ayala Rodriguez, 29.
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PEOPLE reached out to Smith’s attorney, Mark Howes, for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
source: people.com
