ROCK ISLAND, Illinois -- Police have filed murder charges against a Wisconsin prison inmate in connection with the 2016 shooting death of a 37-year-old Rock Island man.
Aaron D. Ellis, who is currently incarcerated in a federal prison in Oxford, Wisconsin, is accused of shooting Richard B. Smith Jr. to death the night of Nov. 14, 2016. Ellis also allegedly shot and injured a 16-year-old juvenile in the incident. Ellis is a former resident of Rock Island.
The shooting happened around 5:15 p.m. on Nov. 14, 2016 in the area of 12th Street and 10th Avenue in Rock Island. Smith "had sustained an apparent gunshot wound" and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, where he later died of his injuries. The 16-year-old, who sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, was taken to a nearby hospital, was treated and released.
Ellis was served an arrest warrant for first degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm on Monday, Dec. 18. He was also charged with three counts of aggravated battery with a firearm stemming from a shoting on Aug. 7, 2016, in which three individuals were injured.
