The man accused of a deadly shooting rampage in a quiet Annapolis, Maryland neighborhood has been denied bail by a judge. The shooting was allegedly sparked by a parking dispute.
Charles Robert Smith, 43, stands charged with the fatal shootings of three men and injuring three others.
Smith’s arrest came after a violent incident that transpired around 8 p.m. Sunday in his usually tranquil Annapolis neighborhood. Smith is now facing a multitude of charges, including three counts each of second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and using a firearm in a violent crime.
At Tuesday’s bail hearing, Smith’s defense attorney, Mark Howes, shared details about his client’s background. Smith, a U.S. Army veteran who served between 2008 and 2013, reportedly suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and is under five different medications. Howes requested that Smith be released to continue his treatment, but the judge declined.
In his decision, the judge pointed out numerous allegations of extreme violence linked to Smith with an unpredictable trigger, and determined that Smith would remain in custody without bail.
The Sunday night confrontation, according to court documents, arose over a dispute about street parking. Smith allegedly first shot Mario Mireles, 27, and continued to fire multiple shots at him even after he fell. Smith then returned to his house to fetch a rifle and allegedly fired from his front window at those attempting to aid Mireles and another victim, Christian Segovia, 25. Nicholas Mireles, 55, Mario’s father, was fatally shot while trying to assist his son.
The three other victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to recover. Annapolis police have indicated they are investigating whether the shooting incident could be classified as a hate crime, as all victims were of Hispanic descent.
The families of the victims are asking for the incident to be acknowledged and shared widely. Mariana Segovia, Christian’s sister, emphasized the importance of not sweeping this incident under the rug and suggested that it could potentially be a hate crime. She urged the community to keep sharing the story and dismissed the suggestion that PTSD was the sole catalyst for this event, insisting it was murder.
Private attorney Kathleen Kirchner, who is representing the Mireles family, expressed the family’s deep distress. Kirchner acknowledged the severity of PTSD, particularly in veterans, but stated firmly that it could not excuse the devastation wrought by Smith’s actions.