On the evening of October 25, 2022, a violent encounter in a parking lot on Old Washington Road in Waldorf, Maryland, ended the life of 60-year-old Michael Anthony Dodson, Sr. Dodson was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced deceased at the scene by Emergency Medical Services. The investigation into his death did not suggest a random act of violence.
The events leading to the fatal shooting began with a physical altercation between Mehki Joseph Smith, 23, of
Waldorf, and Dodson's son. Following the fight, Smith left the area but soon returned with a handgun, reportedly stating his intention to kill the victim's son. A witness alerted Dodson that Smith had come back. When Dodson arrived at the scene, Smith shot him 25 times.
Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Division quickly identified Mehki Joseph Smith as the suspect. He was taken into custody the following day, on October 26, and charged with murder. A judge later ordered Smith to be held without bond at the Charles County Detention Center.
On January 25, 2024, Mehki Joseph Smith pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and the use of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. In April 2024, a Charles County Circuit Court judge sentenced Smith to a life sentence with all but 35 years suspended. Smith also received a concurrent 15-year sentence for a separate second-degree burglary charge. He will be on supervised probation for five years upon his release. During the sentencing, the judge remarked on the number of shots fired, stating to Smith, “Twenty-five bullets; twenty-five times you had a choice.”
