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Police: Alleged Shooter Apologizes

Suspected South Mountain Community College Shooter 'Didn't Mean For Any Innocent People To Get Hurt'

POSTED: 4:58 am MST July 25, 2008
UPDATED: 1:41 pm MST July 25, 2008

The man suspected of shooting three people in a computer lab at a local community college apologized at his arraignment for shooting two of his victims, police said.

Rodney Smith Jr., 22, was protesting the amount of his bail. Bond was set at $200,000 cash.

"I think the bond is way too high," Smith said after the judge cautioned him against saying anything. "I didn't mean for any innocent people to get hurt."

Phoenix Detective Reuben Gonzales said Friday that Smith had harbored ill will toward his intended victim ever since he lost the fight in December. Victim Isaac Smith, 19, was arrested in December 2007 for assaulting Rodney Smith, police said. That case was pleaded out, according to authorities.

"The suspect and one of the victims had a long-standing dispute," Gonzales said.

Gonzales says any time the two met since then, there would be verbal confrontations. The fights did not turn physical again until Thursday.

Rodney Smith faces 12 counts of endangerment, three counts of aggravated assault and one count of misconduct involving weapons.

Police said they arrested Smith a short time after the shooting at a home a few miles from South Mountain Community College where the shooting occurred. Police said Smith was a former student at the school.

Officers also arrested Smith's parents and three other people on charges of interfering with an investigation and failure to obey a police officer after they crossed police tape and demanded to go back inside.

Isaac Smith underwent surgery and remained in critical condition Friday. The condition of Otisha Charee Williams, 20, was upgraded from critical to stable. Christopher Lee Taylor, 17, was also in stable condition.

Pharmacy student Williams was shot in the stomach. Isaac Smith suffered a gunshot wound to his heart, police said. Taylor was also shot in the leg.

Police: 'This Was Not A Random Shooting'

"This was not a random shooting or gunman running wild on the campus," said Sgt. Andy Hill. The 12 witnesses in the computer lab said they saw two men arguing just before shots rang out.

A witness, Toland Black, said he saw two men scuffling in the hallway.

"I ducked down," Black said. He said 30 to 40 people were in the area at the time of the shooting.

Police said Isaac Smith tried to hide under a table, but Rodney Smith shot him.

"He probably had the gun under his shirt and then got upset once the fight was over."

Black said one of the people behind him was hit.

"At first people were turned around reacting and then people started dropping to the floor when they heard screams," he said.

"I was about 10 feet away from them," said Yessenia Laura, a student.

"We just hid and everybody told us to stay calm and don't move," said April Duarte, another student.

After opening fire, the man ran out of the building, witnesses said. SWAT teams quickly set up a perimeter.

Victim's Father: 'She Called Me On Her Cell Phone'

The wounded woman called her father moments after she was shot just after 4 p.m. MST.

"She called me on her cell phone," said Otis Williams, the father of the pharmacy student. "She told me she had been shot."

"She called me on her cell phone," father of victim says

William said he did not believe his daughter had any enemies.

The college enrolls more than 8,000 students each year. Its student body is made up mainly of people seeking associate degrees and certificates of completion.

"It's an open campus and these things are part of our 21st century," said Professor Dr. Steve Fountaine.

School officials said classes will resume on Monday with grief counselors on hand. There were no classes Friday because the college does not hold class on Fridays during the summer.

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