In a tragic turn of events on a late Saturday afternoon, 18-year-old Reginald Smart was fatally shot in what police have described as a targeted attack in Hermitage, Tennessee. The incident, which occurred on March 23, 2024, also claimed the life of 17-year-old Camron McGlothen. The two young men were standing near the breezeway of a building at the Hermitage Flats Apartments on Old Hickory Boulevard when they were ambushed.
Responding to a call at approximately 4:45 p.m., Hermitage
Precinct officers discovered both victims on the ground, unresponsive. Mr. Smart was pronounced dead at the scene, while McGlothen succumbed to his injuries shortly after being transported to a local hospital. Both victims had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators believe that three individuals were involved in the double homicide, with at least one of them wearing a ski mask at the time of the shooting. The assailants fled the apartment complex immediately after the attack.
The investigation into the double homicide has led to the arrests of two suspects. Laarthur Robinson-Ross, 33, of Clarksville, was taken into custody in Montgomery County in March following the incident and is awaiting transfer to Nashville to be booked on a double murder indictment. More recently, on November 4, 2025, Franklin Police arrested a second suspect, 34-year-old Xavier Ellison, during a traffic stop on I-65 South. Ellison, who initially provided a false name to officers, was wanted on an outstanding murder indictment for his alleged role in the killings. He has since been booked on two counts of first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a weapon, with his bond set at $200,000.
