Man who shot and wounded 3 at Phoenix college in 2008 pleads guilty to aggravated assault
By APMonday, March 22, 2010
Man pleads guilty in 2008 Phoenix college shooting
PHOENIX — A former student who shot and wounded three people at a Phoenix community college in 2008 has pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault.
Maricopa County prosecutors say 24-year-old Rodney Eugene Smith Jr. entered into a plea deal Monday. He faces a sentence ranging from probation to nearly nine years in prison on each count. Sentencing is set for April 23.
Smith originally was charged with three counts of aggravated assault and 12 counts of endangerment.
He claims he was beaten by three men with known gang affiliations in December 2007 while attending South Mountain Community College. Two of the men confronted him in the school’s computer lab and threatened to beat him again in July 2008.
When one of the men punched Smith in the jaw, authorities say Smith took out a pistol and began to fire — wounding the assailant and two bystanders.
Information from: The Arizona Republic, www.azcentral.com
