Army Veteran's PTSD Is Now The Talk Of The Annapolis Mass Shooting Case: Reports

ANNAPOLIS, MD — New reports on the Annapolis mass shooting suspect said he is a veteran who has post-traumatic stress disorder.

Annapolis man Charles Robert Smith, 43, is accused of fatally shooting three people and hospitalizing three others during a birthday party parking dispute last Sunday.

Patch visited the Annapolis District Court on Wednesday to view Smith's case records.

The file says Smith is an Army veteran who could spend up to 305 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

Smith is accused of killing:

• Nicolas Mireles, 55, of Odenton
• Mario Antonio Mireles Ruiz, 27, of Annapolis
• Christian Marlon Segovia, 25, of Annapolis

Judge Robert Wilcox on Tuesday held Smith without bond until his trial. Smith's next court date is July 12 when he has a preliminary hearing. He does not yet have a trial date.

Smith's attorney said the suspect is on five different PTSD medications and hadn't taken the medicine for several days, WBAL reported.

A prosecutor stated that Smith "apparently snapped due to the loud noise of the party," FOX 5 DC said.

Kathleen Kirchner identified herself as the private attorney representing the family of the late Mario Mireles and his father, Nicolas Mireles. She respected the PTSD discussion but said the shooting was inexcusable either way.

"Of course, any time one hears that someone is suffering from PTSD, especially after serving our country, that’s significant and that’s not a small issue," Kirchner said, according to FOX 5. "However, we don’t think it in any way excuses his behavior or the damage that he’s done."

Patch contacted Smith's attorney, Mark Howes, to confirm the PTSD reports.

Howes declined to comment, saying he is "heavily invested" in his investigation.

Parking Dispute Before Shooting

The charging documents said the shooting happened Sunday around 7:57 p.m. in the 1000 block of Paddington Place.

The Annapolis Police Department said it found three victims dead in Smith's side yard upon arrival.

Mario Mireles was hosting a birthday party for his brother a few houses away, charging documents and the family's fundraiser said.

Court records say Smith's mother called the city's parking enforcement around 7:45 p.m. to report a vehicle blocking the driveway of her home, which she shares with her son.

The documents say Mario Mireles and his friend Segovia then went over to talk with Smith's mother to discuss the parking issue, and they started arguing. Smith returned to the home with his car towing a large boat out front.

The argument between Mario Mireles and Smith turned physical and Smith pulled out a gun, the report says. Smith and Mario Mireles struggled over the gun.

The records say Smith shot Mario Mireles during the tussle and then shot Segovia.

Smith then stood over Mario Mireles and shot him several more times, the documents say.

Partygoers came outside after hearing the gunshots. The report says Smith went inside, grabbed a rifle and fired out of his front window at partygoers coming outside.

Nicoles Mireles was fatally shot while he was coming to help his son, the record says.

Police said two surviving victims went to shock trauma by helicopter and the third went by ambulance. They were all in stable condition as of Tuesday.

Authorities said they found Smith at his front door with his hands up, surrendering to police.

Smith told officers he shot the victims because they shot at his house, the court documents say.

The report says none of the witnesses saw the victims with guns, however.

Officers said they found many shell casings on the scene.

Authorities said Smith used both a long gun and a semi-automatic handgun during the shooting.

Neither police nor Smith's lawyer have clarified if Smith owns the guns legally.

Related: Annapolis Mass Shooting: 3 Victims, Suspect Identified

This map shows the area where officers said the shooting happened.