OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — An Ottawa County man facing a slew of charges after allegedly shooting his girlfriend during an argument before being stabbed by their son will go to trial.
Vaughn Smith was arrested back in May after a domestic violence incident and has been charged with the following:
- Two counts of assault with intent to murder
- Three counts of felony firearms
- One count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person
The incident happened the morning of May 23 at a home in Robinson Township.
According to officials, they received a 911 call about a domestic disturbance at the home. On the witness stand earlier this month, a neighbor recalled seeing Smith with a weapon while arguing with his girlfriend. The neighbor said that moments later, multiple shots were fired.
"Within a short period of time after that, I heard a loud scream from (Smith's girlfriend), and then Mr. Smith pulled the pistol out of his pocket on his sweatshirt," he said. "Then, Mr. Smith shot at her point-blank range. I believe it grazed her head."
According to police, the couple's 16-year-old son then stabbed Smith in the neck in an attempt to stop the attack, and ran to a nearby neighbor's house until authorities arrived.
The 34-year-old woman was shot in the leg and the head. She is expected to recover.
Investigators say during the shooting, five children were inside the home, but they were not hurt. The children are now living with another family member.
This wasn't the first time law enforcement has been called to the home for a domestic violence disturbance. Detectives were called to the home in November 2023 for a domestic violence call between Smith and the victim.
Smith has two previous convictions, including felony larceny of a firearm and assault with a deadly weapon.
Smith's bail was set at $5,000,000. A start date for the trial has not yet been set.
