The Maryland man charged for fatally shooting three neighbors in a feud over street parking has been ordered held without bail.
Charles Robert Smith, 43, was denied bail by the judge during his hearing on Tuesday, CBS News reported.
Smith was arrested earlier this week after he allegedly opened fire on his quiet Annapolis street around 8 p.m. on Sunday night, leaving three men dead and injuring three others.
He is now facing a slew of charges including three counts of second-degree murder, three counts of attempted second-degree murder, three counts of first-degree assault and use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime, CBS said.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, Smith’s attorney Mark Howes said that his client served in the US Army from 2008 to 2013 and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, FOX 5 DC reported.
Smith, who is single and lives with his mother, is allegedly on five different medications to manage his condition. Howes asked the court to release his client so that he can continue with his treatment plan.
The judge, however, mentioned accusations of multiple accounts of extreme violence” and said the “unpredictable causation factor,” and ruled that Smith would continue to be held without bail, the outlet said.
The violent Sunday night dispute broke out over street parking, court documents shared on Monday indicated.
Smith shot victim Mario Mireles, 27, with a gun and then stood over him to fire several more shots before retrieving a rifle from his house, the documents allege.
He then is said to have fired the rifle outside his front window at those who rushed to help MIreles and Christian Segovia, 25.
Mario’s father, 55-year-old Nicholas Mireles, was also shot and killed while trying to aid his son.
The three additional injured victims suffered non-life threatening injuries and are expected to survive, FOX 5 DC said.
Annapolis police said Tuesday that the victims were Hispanic and they are investigating whether the shooting was a hate crime.
“Right now, the family is very grateful for all the condolences everyone has given us,” Christian’s sister Mariana Segovia told the outlet.
“This is a very, very serious matter. I really don’t want it to be swept up for anybody. These issues have been going on all over America, and it’s really unfortunate that [it’s] so close to home, here in Annapolis out of all places.
“We can’t keep losing, you know, our loved ones like this, not like this – not a week before Father’s Day, you know? So, I ask everyone to please continue to share the story, please keep reporting. Please let everyone know that we will not stop until this is reported as a hate crime. What happened here is not, you know, an act of PTSD. It’s not – this was a murder.”
Kathleen Kirchner, a private attorney representing the Mireles family, said the situation was “just awful.”
“Of course, any time one hears that someone is suffering from PTSD, especially after serving our country, that’s significant and that’s not a small issue. However, we don’t think it in any way excuses his behavior or the damage that he’s done,” she said.
“This was an unprovoked attack. It was undeserved, and they’re absolutely heartbroken and shattered they were present for it. I don’t want to go into the details of what I’ve heard but what I can tell you is it’s awful what they experienced.”