ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Tribune News Service) — The man arrested in connection with the shooting last month in Annapolis that killed three and injured three others now faces hate crime charges handed down Friday by an Anne Arundel County grand jury.

Three counts of the 42-count indictment allege that Charles Robert Smith, 43, was "motivated in substantial part" by the victims' national origin during the June shooting on the 1000 block of Paddington Place that killed his neighbor Mario Mireles, 27, as well as Mario's father, Nicholas Mireles, 55, and friend Christian Segovia, 25.

The shooting was the deadliest act of violence in Annapolis in several years. In addition to those who were killed or wounded, three more were "assaulted, but uninjured," prosecutors said.

Police believe the shooting was the result of a parking dispute, an extension of the troubled history between the neighbors. In the wake of the bloodshed, the Mireles family advocated for authorities to pursue hate crime charges against Smith, an Army veteran who is white. Mireles' family is Latino.

"I'm beyond happy with the extra charges. I feel like justice is being served. It's good news," Nelcy Goss, Mario Mireles' sister, said. "Nothing can bring my brother back but at least the judicial system is seeing what's right and is doing the right thing for us."

The indictment also charges Smith with three counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted first-degree murder. When Smith was arrested after the shooting, he was charged with second-degree murder for each of the three people killed.

Smith did not have an attorney listed Monday in online court records for the new case. Mark Howes and Peter O'Neill, attorneys who represented Smith on the original charges, said Monday that they were no longer involved in the case.

Anne Arundel State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess is listed as prosecuting attorney. Leitess, a Democrat who was unopposed when reelected last year, occasionally tries cases, most recently when prosecuting the gunman who murdered five Capital Gazette employees in 2018. Assistant State's Attorney Jason Steinhardt will prosecute the case alongside Leitess.

Smith is scheduled to appear in Anne Arundel Circuit Court for an initial hearing on the new slate of charges July 31.

Annapolis Police officers responded about 8 p.m. June 11 to the private residence in the southeast Annapolis neighborhood of Wilshire and found the six people with gunshot wounds. Mario Mireles, of Annapolis, his father and Segovia, who lived in Severn, all died at the scene. Rosalina Segovia, Paul Johnson and Enner Canales-Hernandez were taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore with injuries.

The elder Mireles, an Odenton resident who owned a landscaping business, was a hardworking fighter who died trying to defend one of his kids, his wife said.

A week after the shooting on Father's Day, a few hundred family, friends and neighbors gathered along the water at City Dock to mourn the dead, all of whom were fathers.

In the aftermath, investigators determined the shooting began after neighbors got into a disagreement about a vehicle parked in front of the house that Smith shares with his mother. According to charging documents, Shirley Smith called in a complaint to the city, saying her driveway was blocked. Twelve minutes later, her son surrendered to police at his front door after the shooting.

Separate peace orders filed in September 2016 indicate Mario Mireles and Shirley Smith had several disagreements — with Mireles reporting Smith directed racial slurs at him and his family. The 65-year-old mother of the suspect said that Mireles had struck her car with a large wet towel or blanket, and had thrown rocks at street signs and hit nearby vehicles in the past. Both peace orders were dismissed by a judge who found neither met the necessary burden of proof.

Charles Smith faces a maximum sentence of life without parole if he is convicted of first-degree murder. Each of the hate crime charges could bring additional time, up to 20 years each.

The Center of Help, an Annapolis-based nonprofit focused on supporting the county's immigrant community, has been aiding the families impacted by the shooting. Executive Director Gabriel Rodriguez said while the organization is "profoundly saddened" by the incident, it's not going to speculate on the legal proceedings.

"The ongoing investigation and subsequent charges laid by the grand jury, including the consideration of hate crime charges for Charles Smith, are in the hands of our justice system," Rodriguez said in an emailed statement Monday. "We firmly believe in due process, and we trust that justice will be served accordingly."

Echoing this, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said in a statement that he looks "forward to seeing justice served for the families and the entire community devastated by the loss of Mario Mireles, Nicholas Mireles, and Christian Segovia."

Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley thanked the grand jury, state's attorney and law enforcement officials for their work on the indictment.

"No one should live in fear in their own neighborhood," Buckley said in a statement. "The process may take months or even years to play out in the court system. It is my hope that this brings the families of the victims one step closer to peace."

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