It seems, however, that most, if not all, of these service calls were made by Robert Findlay Smith himself. Smith, 70, is charged with the murders of Walter “Bart” Rainey, 84, of Irondale. Sarah Yeager, 75, of Pelham; and Jane Pounds, 84, of Hoover. The charge against Smith is capital because two or more people were killed in the shooting. Smith, described by police as the “lone suspect”, was taken into custody when police were called at 6:22 p.m. Thursday at an active shooter in the church. The shooting happened during a “Boomers Potluck” dinner that started at 5 pm in the church. It was about 25 at dinner in the parish hall. Smith was sitting alone and a longtime church member approached him and invited him to sit at a table, said the Rev. Doug Carpenter, who founded the church in 1973 and retired in 2005. He identified himself only as a victim of Rainey. «Mr. Smith “and refused to join them. He then pulled out a pistol and shot three people. Church member Jim Musgrove hit the shooter with a chair and fired his weapon away. Smith had previously attended St. Stephen. The motive for the shooting is unknown. See the full coverage of the Vestavia Hills church shooting here. Smith lives near Cahaba Heights and police blocked his way for much of Friday afternoon while conducting a search warrant at his home in Sicard Hollow. Police searched Robert Findlay Smith’s home on Sicard Hollow Road on Friday, June 17, 2022. (Carol Robinson) Public records show that Smith is an ATF-licensed firearms dealer, with a company called Original Magazines 2 at 4128 Sicard Hollow Road, which is also his home address. The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms issued a letter of warning to Smith, the less serious action, on February 7, 2018, following an “on-site compliance survey” at Smith’s 4128 Sicard Hollow Street in Birmingham, according to Repo. Press Releases for American Merchants and Arms Manufacturers. Smith had not recorded the sale or other disposal of a firearm in the required seven days, said an ATF schedule, and could not locate the firearms listed in his stock. Authorities have not revealed the motive for the shooting and court records do not report any previous violent crimes against Smith. He received a DUI in 2016 and went to driving school. He pleaded guilty and was fined $ 465 at the DUI in Chattanooga in November 2005 in a case in which he was also charged with possession of a firearm while intoxicated. This charge has been declined. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to 13 calls in three years to church shooting suspect Robert Finley Smith, mostly at his request. (Carol Robinson) Law enforcement radio communications during the active gunman’s condition showed that the police knew the suspect, knowing where he was staying and what he was driving. Vestavia Hills Police Captain Shane Ware said last week that he could not yet comment on any previous possible involvement with the suspect. Vestavia Hills police have denied a request by AL.com for calls to 911 for the shooting, saying they are part of an ongoing investigation. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, however, responded to a request for service calls at Smith’s home. The deputies answered at his house 13 times between 2019 and 2022, the last time on April 11. Call details were not available and in most cases were not reported. In the last three years, there have been two medical calls, five “investigation complaint” cases, three requests for extra patrolling his home, two reports of a suspect or vehicle, and one criminal disorder case. Smith remains unprotected in Jefferson County Jail. It was not immediately clear when he would make his first appearance in court or if he had a lawyer to speak for him.
