Accused strip club shooter on trial this week for 2024 homicide

FORT WAYNE, Ind. ---The conversational interaction didn’t seem out of the ordinary.

But right after the exchange between Breshawn Smith and Issac Green caught on camera in the smoking room at Showgirl 1 on West Coliseum Boulevard, Smith “immediately” took off, leaving the strip club at 2:50 a.m. Nov. 16 of last year.

Breshawn Smith

At 3:11 a.m., on camera, Smith is seen on Goshen Road returning to the club in his girlfriend’s black Chevy Equinox, according to the probable cause affidavit submitted by homicide detective Liza Anglin.

By 3:18 a.m. Smith’s back in the parking lot and, behind the club, hopping out of the passenger’s seat a minute later. 

That’s when prosecutors say Smith opened fire on the crowd, including Green. The reckless shooting struck and killed Marialuz Margarita Munoz, 26, and wounded two men, Taurean Hayden and Benjamin Crance. Hayden would die later due to another circumstance, Chief Deputy Prosecutor Tom Chaille said.

By 3:20 a.m., Smith, 29, and his driver were wheeling out of the parking lot, headlights off, as cops were racing to the scene.

Smith is on trial this week, charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder and criminal recklessness. 

The shooting occurred as people stood outside the club that was closing. Smith “left carnage,” Chaille said. “It’s a miracle more people weren’t killed that night.”

In court Tuesday, jurors listened to a 9-1-1 call from Crance, struggling with obvious pain as the dispatcher kept him talking.

Chaille, who is representing the state with deputy prosecutor Rachel Gschwend, said Crance was shot in the back.

“Can you hear me?” the dispatcher asked him. “We’ve got help on the way. We’ve got a lot of people coming as fast as they can.” Later she tells him “Don’t give up.”

None of the victims were apparently the target, but the two survivors wouldn’t cooperate with police. Fort Wayne street crimes officer Christopher Hoffman testified that he visited both Crance and Hayden in the hospital, Hayden was in critical condition and wasn't able to speak to the officer, but Crance was “less than cooperative,” even up to the point of “ignoring the officer.”

A 9 mm gun and shell casings were found in a dumpster at the club near the two wounded men, court documents said. Chaille said the rifle seen on Smith on surveillance video was never recovered.

Green, who appears to be a possible target, took the stand, but was non committal in his answers. Green said he didn’t know Smith and, about the conversation between the two at the club, he didn’t know what it was.

In the probable cause, there's a hint that the conversation could have been about "weed."

Smith was picked up in a traffic stop a few hours after the shooting by Anglin and homicide detective Luke MacDonald after they drove to the apartment complex where Smith's girlfriend lived.

Smith was driving the Chevy Equinox with a passenger, William Tolbert, who is facing murder, acting in concert and two attempted murder charges..

Smith’s defense attorney, Robert Scremin, said for his cooperation,Tolbert was offered a plea deal and predicted the charges would be dismissed. 

Court documents indicate that Tolbert took a plea in March and will be sentenced on Nov. 21.

“None of this evidence created a narrative (the state) is asking you to follow,” Scremin said to the jury. He said the images shown by the state were not reliable.

The trial will pick up again on Thursday, Judge Fran Gull presiding.