In the closing hours of a December night in Erie, Pennsylvania, the life of 38-year-old Steve M. Smith III was tragically cut short. On December 30, 2022, Smith was at the Metroplex nightclub on Buffalo Road when gunfire erupted during a private party. He was struck and later died at Saint Vincent Hospital. Another man was also injured in the shooting.
Steve, a graduate of Central High School and a former member of the U.S. Army, was a father who was known for his inviting and humorous personality. His sudden death left a void in the lives of his family and friends, who remembered him as the life of the party.
The Erie Police Department launched an intensive investigation into the homicide. Their efforts, which included reviewing extensive video footage and conducting numerous interviews, led them to identify a suspect. About a month after the fatal shooting, investigators arrested 22-year-old Shannon Goodwin.
Goodwin was charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and other related offenses. The arrest brought a measure of closure to a community shaken by the violence that had claimed the life of Steve M. Smith III, marking the final homicide in the city of Erie for the year 2022.
