Daytona Beach, FL – A former Bethune-Cookman University student will not be prosecuted for shooting 4 BCU students during a house party near the campus earlier this year.
7th Circuit State Attorney RJ Larizza’s office announced on Thursday that no charges will be filed at this time against 23-year-old Vincent Tyrone Smith in that April 3rd incident at the home on 338 Henry Butts Drive.
“There is insufficient evidence to file charges at this time,” stated Larizza spokesman Spencer Hathaway.
Smith was booked at Volusia County Jail 3 days after the shooting once he turned himself in at Daytona Beach Police Department headquarters with his lawyer present.
Investigators say the shooting happened just after midnight that Friday, soon after Smith was kicked out of the party.
None of the students had life-threatening wounds. All of them were taken to Halifax Health Medical Center for treatment from the scene.
DBPD Chief Mike Chitwood told WNDB’s Marc Bernier soon after Smith was arrested that his officers had trouble finding witnesses to come forward even though there were many people at the party who saw what happened.
Chitwood said at the time that a lot of that is more of a societal issue than it is about BCU because many young kids think it’s cool to be a thug and because people don’t like to be labeled as snitches if they speak to police.
Smith was held on $100,000 bond at Volusia County Jail on 4 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and 1 count of discharging a firearm in public, but he was released around a month later because no formal charges were filed against him.
VCJ records show Smith’s been booked there 4 other times since September 2012 on a variety of charges, including driving with a suspended license, marijuana possession and drug paraphernalia possession.
Vincent Tyrone Smith (mugshot courtesy VCJ)
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.