A man who robbed and shot a father last year in Parkland who was driving his daughter to daycare — only to be disarmed and overpowered by the wounded man — has been sentenced to a little more than 14 years in prison.
Reginald Israel Smith, 20, pleaded guilty last month in Pierce County Superior Court to first-degree assault while armed with a firearm and first-degree robbery for the June 17, 2022, incident.
A 40-year-old man was driving on 128th Street South that morning with his 3-year-old daughter in the backseat of his truck when surveillance video showed Smith emerge from behind a camper trailer with a semiautomatic rifle, according to court documents. Prosecutors alleged that Smith charged at the man's vehicle, pointing the weapon at him and his child and demanding money.
The man handed over his wallet and phone but then ripped the rifle from Smith's hands. Smith retreated behind the camper and returned with a pistol, shooting at the man's truck as he reversed. According to court records, two shots hit the truck and one ricocheted. A bullet fragment struck the father in the mouth, fracturing teeth and lodging itself in his tongue.
Despite being shot, the man stopped his truck, called 911 and left the line open as he got out of his vehicle and confronted Smith. The two struggled over the handgun, and Smith was disarmed again. According to a sentencing memorandum from the defense, the firearm was picked up by Smith's girlfriend, who was watching.
Sheriff's Department deputies responded at about 6:15 a.m., records state, and by the time they arrived, Smith had been pinned to the ground by the other man, who had blood "all over" his chin and mouth. Smith's girlfriend dropped the handgun at the direction of deputies, and she and Smith were taken into custody. The father was transported to a hospital.
On Friday, Judge Stanley Rumbaugh handed down the punishment, a low-end sentence of 171 months.
The father attended the hearing and addressed the court before Smith was sentenced, according to court records. Photos were submitted to the court of the man holding and playing with his young daughter.
Three people wrote letters of support for Smith prior to sentencing, including his adoptive mother. The woman asked for leniency from the judge, writing that she was saddened for the victims and heartbroken that her son would do this.
"I know that Reggie regrets his choice that day, is remorseful and thankful that no one was seriously injured," his mother wrote. "He realizes that he was in a horrible state of mind that led to his decision."
Smith was originally charged with first-degree attempted murder, two counts of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery and first-degree malicious mischief. The attempted-murder charge was downgraded to first-degree assault, and two of the assault charges and the malicious mischief charge were dropped as part of a plea agreement.
When prosecutors asked the court to accept the amended charges, they wrote that it was a very serious and potentially deadly incident, and they had no doubt that Smith would be convicted if the case went to trial because the entire event was captured on surveillance video. Prosecutors wrote that instead of going to trial, they and the defense came to an agreement that would result in a significant prison sentence.
Smith was 18 at the time of the offense and had no prior criminal convictions. His attorney from the Department of Assigned Counsel, David Katayama, wrote in his sentencing memorandum that Smith wanted the court to know he had no intention of injuring the victim when he shot at him. He meant to scare the man into stopping his truck.
Katayama argued that Smith deserved the low-end sentence because the court should place greater emphasis on rehabilitating an 18-year-old offender rather than seeking retribution for his actions. The attorney also referred to Smith's tumultuous upbringing. He was placed in foster care within years of his birth, and according to records from the state's Department of Children, Youth and Families, there was evidence he had been physically abused before he was adopted.
At age 15, Smith was a victim of gun violence on several occasions, Katayama wrote, and his best friend was killed. According to a forensic psychological report requested by the attorney, Smith met diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder and ADHD.
Smith was interviewed in December 2022 about his state of mind at the time of the robbery and shooting, according to the psychological report. Smith told the interviewer he'd been living with his girlfriend's family at the time, and he was stressed after finding out that his girlfriend was pregnant because they needed to find their own home, and he needed to find a way to get money.
Smith said he started smoking fentanyl multiple times a day when he learned of the pregnancy, according to the report. On the day of the incident, the couple argued after he started the day smoking marijuana, and then he took several Xanax pills before he took his things and left. He said he then smoked a fentanyl pill. He reportedly said he had difficulty remembering the rest of the day.
