MAYS LANDING – An Atlantic City man was indicted today in connection with the shooting death of an innocent bystander caught in gunfire in Atlantic City’s Stanley Holmes Village in 2012, Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain announced.
This afternoon, an Atlantic County Grand Jury indicted Rodney Smiley, 24, of the 600 block of Michigan Ave., Atlantic City, for murder and other offenses for his involvement in a shooting which claimed the life of Jose Oritz, 59, of Atlantic City, in the fall of 2012.
On Sept. 6, 2012, Ortiz, a resident of Stanley Holmes Village, was riding his bicycle outside of his home when he was caught in the gunfire of multiple shooters.
Atlantic City police responded to the shooting scene and found Ortiz suffering from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. Ortiz was transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center—City Campus, where he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
A 16-month investigation conducted by Atlantic City Police and the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, led to the authorization of charges against Smiley by County Prosecutor Jim McClain on Jan. 2, 2014.
The next day the charges were served on Smiley in New Jersey State prison, where he was incarcerated on an unrelated matter, and where he remains in custody.
Bail was set at $1 million full cash.
Today, the Grand Jury indicted Rodney Smiley on five (5) criminal counts:
- Murder, a crime of the 1st degree,
- Conspiracy to commit murder—1st degree,
- Possession of a Weapon for unlawful purposes—2nd degree,
- Unlawful possession of a weapon, without a permit to carry—2nd degree,
- Possession of a weapon by a convicted person—2nd degree.
A conviction for murder carries a potential penalty of incarceration in New Jersey State prison for 30 years to life. The potential penalty for a 2nd degree conviction is 5 to 10 years of imprisonment.
Chief Assistant John Maher represents the State in the matter.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Atlantic City Police Department continue the investigation of this homicide. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Major Crimes Unit at (609)-909-7666 or the Atlantic City Police Department at (609)-347-5779.
These charges are an accusation and not proof of guilt. In all criminal cases, a charged defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Anyone with information involving serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at http://www.acpo.org/tips.html and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page. People can also call Crime Stoppers at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.
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