On the night before Thanksgiving in 2019, a dispute between neighbors in a Lexington, Kentucky apartment complex turned fatal, ending the life of 37-year-old Robert Cole Smith. The male victim was discovered by police with a gunshot wound on November 27th at the Spanish Trace Apartments on Harrodsburg Road. He was transported to the hospital where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Investigations into the shooting revealed that a 'disorder' had taken place at the apartment building
prior to the deadly encounter. According to police testimony, the conflict arose from a commotion in the third-floor attic of the building where both Smith and the accused shooter resided. The situation escalated, culminating in the fatal shooting.
A neighbor, 58-year-old Terrence F. Fister, was arrested at the scene and subsequently charged with the murder of Robert Cole Smith. A key witness, Fister's own son, provided a chilling account to law enforcement. He reported seeing Smith crawling backward up a set of stairs, pleading with someone not to shoot him. The witness then heard a gunshot and saw his father holding a handgun. After being shot, Smith was still conscious and reportedly asked Fister's son why his father had shot him. When emergency crews arrived, the wounded Smith was able to indicate to officers that his shooter was in Fister's apartment. Fister was taken into custody and his case was later sent to a grand jury.
