Rock Hill shooting suspect also accused in mob assault

A Rock Hill man is in jail on multiple charges including attempted murder and intimidation of a witness, according to law enforcement records.

Ronald Michael Smith Jr., 29, was placed in the Rock Hill city jail Tuesday, charged with three counts of attempted murder, possession of a firearm during a violent crime, two counts of possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a violent crime, possession of a stolen pistol and possession with intent to distribute ecstasy, according to police records. A judge denied bond Wednesday afternoon.

Smith is accused in a Friday shooting on the 700 block of Jefferson Avenue, where gunshots were reported about 5:40 p.m., according to a police report. Responding officers were told a man wearing all black was seen shooting and running up Jefferson Avenue toward State Street.

Officers saw a man matching that description get into a dark Ford Mustang and conducted a traffic stop on the car near State and Saluda streets, police said. The driver and passenger were both detained, and officers found a gun in the car. The driver and passenger in the Mustang were not charged.

Police were told the suspect in the shooting, “Mike ‘White Mike’ Smith,” fled on foot before officers arrived. Several shell casings were found on the 700 block of Jefferson Avenue.

A woman came to police headquarters later Friday and told officers she saw Smith and another suspect arguing in the middle of Jefferson Avenue. The other suspect reportedly pushed Smith to the ground, before the two began shooting at each other.

The witness said Smith got into the Mustang and began to flee but got out and fled on foot when police arrived, the report states.

Hours later, police say, Smith orchestrated a mob assault on a woman. The female victim in that case said she was at a friend’s house on Green Street for a party about 2 a.m. Saturday when Smith entered the home “uninvited,” followed by several women.

Smith told the victim “she is responsible for him losing his guns, money and drugs when she reported a previous incident,” the report states. Smith then reportedly told the women to “beat her.” The victim said several women assaulted her.

The victim had several minor injuries, including a bump on her forehead, police said.

Justice Clark, 22, was charged Tuesday with assault and battery by mob and intimidation of a witness, according to jail records. She was released Wednesday under $4,000 bond. Police anticipate additional arrests in connection with the assault.

Capt. Mark Bollinger, a Rock Hill Police Department spokesman, said the woman assaulted Saturday was not the one who provided information to police about the Jefferson Avenue shooting.

Smith was found Tuesday in a bedroom at his mother’s Rock Hill home, according to an incident report. Detectives found a loaded .357 revolver, 55 dosage units of ecstasy and .7 grams of marijuana, police said. The gun was reported stolen to Rock Hill police in 2014.

The Friday shooting is still under investigation, and detectives on Wednesday charged a 16-year-old girl with possession of a firearm under 18, Bollinger said. Originally listed as a victim, investigators believe the teenager and Smith had been arguing before the shooting and that Smith was shooting at her and two other people.

“Detectives determined she had a pistol during the incident,” Bollinger said, adding that she was charged as a juvenile.

This story was originally published March 23, 2016 at 5:56 PM with the headline "Rock Hill shooting suspect also accused in mob assault."