On a Friday afternoon in Fountain Inn, South Carolina, a tragic event unfolded that left two men dead and a woman hospitalized. Andrew Paul Smith, a 45-year-old male, was fatally shot on February 10, 2023, in a home on Ivy Woods Court. Another man, 72-year-old Richard Ernest Smith, also died in the shooting. A third victim, a woman, was transported to the hospital and was reported to be in stable condition.
All three victims resided at the home where the incident occurred.
Authorities were called to the residence around 3:30 in the afternoon, where they discovered the victims of the triple shooting. The investigation quickly led to a suspect, Patrick Piotte, who was apprehended in Spartanburg County following the incident. It was later revealed that Piotte was familiar with the victims, having lived with the Smiths for about a year before moving out several weeks prior to the shooting. Investigators reported that on the day of the shootings, Piotte had driven to the home.
In the wake of the incident, Patrick Piotte was charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of Andrew Paul Smith and Richard Ernest Smith. He also faced additional charges of burglary and attempted murder in connection with the attack on the third victim. The community was left in shock by the violent event that took place in their neighborhood. Funeral services for Andrew Paul Smith were held the following week, with friends and family gathering to mourn the devastating loss.
