Case update: Man arrested, charged with shooting fiancée

Date: August 18, 2022

Case #: 2022-006573

Jason Whitehill Smith, 44, has been arrested and charged with Aggravated Battery with a Firearm, for a shooting that occurred Wednesday, August 17, in the 41-hundred block of 37th St. Ct. W.

Shortly before 11:30 AM, the victim, a 38-year-old woman, called 911 to report she had been shot in the leg. Bradenton Police Detective Andres Perez was one of the first officers to arrive on scene, and discovered the woman had been shot in both legs. Det. Perez, also a trained SWAT Operator, applied tourniquets prior to EMS arrival. She remains hospitalized.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for the woman’s fiancé, Jason Smith, who had taken the victim’s vehicle, a green, 2005 GMC Envoy with tag PCVA59. The vehicle was later found in Bradenton.

Overnight, Bradenton Police detectives tracked Smith to a hotel in Sarasota. He was arrested, with the assistance of the Sarasota Police Department, at approximately 4:30 AM. Smith is currently in custody at the Sarasota County Jail.

If you have information on this case, contact Detective William Mulligan at william.mulligan@bradentonpd.com or 941-875-2890. You also may email any information on this or other cases to BPDTips@BradentonPD.com. To remain anonymous and eligible for a cash reward of up to $3,000, call Crime Stoppers (toll-free) at 1-866-634-8477 (TIPS) or send an anonymous E-Tip through manateecrimestoppers.com. 

Jason Whitehill Smith. Booking photo from Sarasota County Jail.