Uniontown homicide suspect held without bail in Beaver
The alleged shooter in a Uniontown homicide was arrested in Beaver County, Wednesday, where he is being held without bail after he allegedly pointed a gun at his ex-girlfriend’s mom in April and fired shots at her house.
Tyree Smith, 22, of Penn Hills was arrested by New Brighton Police Department, Wednesday afternoon, and handed over to Aliquippa City Police Department for an arrest warrant issued April 19. Smith is accused of killing Richard Hinton, 28, of Uniontown at 72 Dunlap St. in Fayette County at about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Smith allegedly shot Hinton in the face, then stood over his body and shot him two more times. A child who reportedly witnessed the shooting told police he woke up to Smith and another man passing a revolver back and forth. Smith said, “If someone runs up in here, we’re gonna blast them,” shortly before Hinton ran up the stairs, according to court paperwork.
Police are working to identify the second person, who reportedly ran out the back door with Smith.
According to the affidavit of probable cause filed in his Beaver County case, Aliquippa police were called to a Return St. home at about 11:30 p.m. April 16, where Smith was allegedly standing outside with a gun and a facial mask after shooting at the house. He fled before police arrived. Smith allegedly pointed a gun at his ex-girlfriend’s mother, and said, “I told you I was coming for you” before firing two shots at the house. She and five other people prevented Smith from entering the house, police said.
His ex-girlfriend had obtained an emergency protection-from-abuse order at about 6 p.m. the day before, but he had not been served yet.
About 15 minutes after the alleged shooting, his ex-girlfriend called police saying Smith just shot up her mother’s house and was on his way over. While she was talking to police, Smith called sounding irritated and said he wanted his stuff back, which she told police was cocaine he left in her vehicle, later determined to be about $5,000 worth.
The next day, the women reported to police Smith streamed a Facebook live video holding what appeared to be an AK assault rifle, saying he was on his way to Aliquippa to “kill all of them.” He also claimed to be the cousin of a shooter from the Wilkinsburg picnic homicides, who allegedly killed five people and an unborn child in 2016.
Police said the victims relocated for their safety.
Smith was arraigned at 9:45 p.m. Wednesday before Beaver County Magisterial District Judge Tim Finn on charges of discharge of a firearm into occupied structure, aggravated assault, firearms not to be carried without a license, possession of a firearm prohibited, four counts of terroristic threats and five counts of recklessly endangering another person. Finn denied bail in the case because of Smith’s homicide charges in Fayette County. He is also considered a flight risk.
Smith is awaiting his preliminary arraignment in Fayette County.