CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte man will now spend time in prison after taking aim at police officers more than three years ago.
The Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office said 36-year-old Shelton Smith was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder, assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm, and being an armed habitual felon. He was sentenced to between roughly 28 to 35 years in prison.
Smith was arrested in late May 2021 as officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department worked to investigate an armed robbery that happened at a motel on Reagan Drive in the Hidden Valley area. During that robbery, police said two people were robbed at gunpoint by three suspects. A Mercury Grand Marquis with a red front left quarter panel and white bumper was determined to be the suspect car.
When police spotted the car at a motel on Old Interstate Road later in the day, CMPD tried to arrest a then-33-year-old Smith. He ran away and fired at the two officers chasing him. One officer returned fire, wounding Smith and allowing for his arrest. The officer's response was deemed legally justified.
Smith was tried for these charges and others in 2022. At that time, a jury did find him guilty on the firearm possession charge but could not reach unanimous verdicts on the other two. A mistrial was declared and the DA's office retried the case.
The office notes Smith's two co-defendants were previously convicted of charges tied to the robbery.