An Iowa man opened fire on his girlfriend and her five children, ages 1 to 13, inside a minivan in Tennessee over the weekend, killing a 4-year-old girl and leaving two other children critically wounded.
Metro Nashville Police said the incident took place Saturday night in Madison, where the 41-year-old woman and her children were visiting family, WZTV reported. Twenty-six year-old Jovien T. Smith and the woman got into an argument as she drove her Dodge minivan down the street. The argument escalated, and Jovien threw the woman’s cell phone out the window and tried to grab the steering wheel, police said.
The woman safely pulled to the side of the road, when Smith reportedly pulled out his pistol and started shooting.
The woman was hit multiple times and got out of the vehicle to run for help. While she did so, Smith shot four of the children. The youngest victims, ages 1 and 7, remain in critical condition, and the 4-year-old girl died from her injuries. The three wounded children were each shot several times, police said.
After shooting the children, Smith chased their mother as she sought help from nearby homes. Officers arrived quickly, however, and took the shooter into custody. The mother was hospitalized with serious injuries.
Smith was charged with one count of criminal homicide, five counts of attempted criminal homicide, three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of aggravated burglary.
His bond was set at $2.6 million, although the criminal homicide count carries no bond, so he won’t be getting out of jail before trial.
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[Featured image: Jovien T. Smith/Metro Nashville Police Department]
