Man accused of shooting woman three times in front of her 3-year-old child, police say
A man accused of shooting a woman three times in front of her 3-year-old child on Forrest Road last month has been linked to the theft of a car and burglary at a Chevron station, Columbus police said Wednesday.
Mario Smith, 32, of Columbus was taken into custody Monday near Wilson Apartments and held in the July 28 shooting of a woman at her home in the 6400 block of Forrest Road. Smith faces one count each of aggravated assault, burglary, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, possession of a firearm, second-degree cruelty to children and theft of a motor vehicle. Recorder’s Court Judge Julius Hunter set bonds totaling $31,000 on a burglary, child cruelty and vehicle theft charges but set no bond on the assault charge.
Detective Jeff Bridges said police were called to a Forrest Road home to investigate a shooting. The woman and her and the man were in a bedroom talking before it escalated into an argument. While the woman was on the bed, Smith is accused of pulling a pistol and shooting the woman in the chest once and twice in her leg while a child was in the room. A fourth shot was fired into the floor.
Smith was gone by the time police arrived. The woman was able to run from the house to get help.
Bridges said the woman was airlifted from a Columbus hospital to an unidentified facility. A bullet is still lodged near her spine and her condition wasn’t available.
When Smith was questioned about the shooting, he admitted to being with the woman the day before the shooting at her aunt’s house. He said one of her other boyfriends must have shot the woman.
The keys to the woman’s 2009 gold Nissan were taken from the house during the shooting. Police Detective Ada Johnson said the vehicle was stolen about 9 a.m. on Aug. 9. Three days later, the vehicle was used in a burglary of the Chevron station at 4001 Miller Road. A surveillance video was matched to Smith.
The vehicle pulled up to the building and crashed into the doors, causing an estimated $20,000 in damage. Believed to have been wearing gloves, the suspect tried to take off the doors from the building. He may have cut his hand during the burglary before a newspaper delivery driver arrived at the business.
The woman’s vehicle was found at Wilson Apartments after people in the area said Smith would be seen on the bicycle or in the car.
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This story was originally published August 15, 2018 at 4:07 PM.