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The day he was shot by a cop, police had been called to Jackson Twp. man’s home four times

Ryan-Shane-Smith.jpg

Ryan Smith, 32, of Jackson Township, is pictured in this mugshot from 2016. A Southwestern Regional police officer shot him in the leg on Wednesday outside a bank in Spring Grove. (Photo: Submitted)

(Undated) — In the hours before Ryan Smith was shot by police outside a bank in Spring Grove last week, another police department had responded to four calls involving his residence, according to Northern York County Regional Police.

911 dispatch records obtained through a Right-to-Know-Law request show that authorities were dispatched to the home of Smith, 32, at 11:47 a.m. and 2:50 p.m. on May 30.

The calls were listed as “RFA,” request for assistance, according to Northern Regional’s police activity log, and the second requested an ambulance.

Both calls originated from within Smith’s residence, located on the 100 block of Nashville Boulevard, according to Northern Regional Lt. David Lash.

However, police were also called twice earlier in the day – 9 a.m. and 10:56 a.m. – from a neighboring residence, Lash said. Those calls are listed as “suspicious activity – person” and “suspicious activity – drugs,” respectively, according to the Northern Regional police activity log.

Lash declined to comment on the nature of the calls or what occurred after police arrived.

Around 4:45 p.m. that day, Smith was shot by a Southwestern Regional police officer outside Santander Bank in Spring Grove.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, which is investigating the shooting, Smith demanded $500,000 from a teller and became disorderly and threatened employees after being told that he did not have an account or the proper ID to withdraw money.

Police took Smith into custody after he refused to cooperate with authorities and escorted him out of the bank. While on the scene, an officer fired his pistol, according to a news release. A witness said she saw the officer shoot Smith in the leg while he sat handcuffed in the back of a police car. Police have declined to comment on that part of the arrest, pending the state police investigation and a review by the York County District Attorney. 

Smith was charged with resisting arrest, criminal trespass and two counts of disorderly conduct.

Repeated attempts to reach Smith and his family have been unsuccessful.

Smith was in prison from Nov. 17, 2016, to April 4, 2018, according to York County Prison.

Since his release in April, Northern Regional Police were called to his residence an additional three times for a request for assistance on May 5 and 16 and a mental health check on May 25, according to the county and Northern Regional’s police activity logs. An adult probation officer also responded to Smith’s residence on May 3.

Smith has had repeated run-ins with the criminal justice system, according to court records, which indicate that he’s struggled with mental health issues and substance use disorder.

According to court documents, Smith’s attorney, Seamus Dubbs, once said his client “does suffer from or is being treated for various mental illnesses.”

This story comes to us through a partnership between WITF and The York Daily Record. 

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