Alabama church shooting: Suspect had history of 911 calls; victims to be laid to rest

VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. - The man accused of opening fire inside an Alabama church last week, killing three, has had a history of 911 calls made against him, according to reports.

Robert Findlay Smith, 70, was charged with killing three people at St. Stevens Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama on June 16. Smith targeted those attending a "Boomer" potluck that Thursday night.

Smith is accused of pulling out a handgun and opening fire. A churchgoer hit Smith with a chair and disarmed him, according to a former St. Stephen’s pastor who spoke with witnesses. The attacker was then held until police arrived.

He has been charged with capital murder. He was booked into the Jefferson County Jail.

A motive behind the deadly shooting has not been revealed.

Police surround a church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama after a report of an active shooter incident on June 16, 2022. (WBRC)

Robert Findlay Smith has a history of 911 calls: report

AL.com reports Jefferson County deputies responded to 13 calls to Smith’s Cahaba Heights home in the last year. Two were medical calls, five were "investigate complaint" calls, three were requests for extra patrol, two were reports of a suspicious person, and one was a criminal mischief complaint.

Details surrounding each of those calls were not immediately available and in most of those cases, there were no reports filed stemming from the call.

Robert Findlay Smith (Jefferson County Sheriff's Office)

Alabama church shooting suspect’s prior run-ins with law enforcement

Court records indicate Smith pleaded guilty to a DUI in Chattanooga in November 2005. He was charged with possession of a handgun while intoxicated, a charge later dropped. He received a $465 fine.

He also was convicted of DUI in 2016 and attended driving school, court records show.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives records obtained by the Associated Press showed Smith was a licensed firearm dealer. His business is listed at his home address.

Federal authorities warned Smith in 2018 about recording the disposition of his guns, according to reporting compiled by The Trace and USA. There were reportedly 86 firearms on hand in inventory during the inspection period.

There is reason to believe officers were familiar with the "lone suspect" in the shooting, but the police department declined to comment about that.

Emergency crews surround a church just southeast of Birmingham, Alabama after a report of a shooting on June 16, 2022. (WBRC)

Victims of Alabama church shooting to be laid to rest

Services for Walter Bartlett Rainey, Sarah Sharon Yeager and Jane Pounds will take place at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, where the three church members were fatally shot Thursday night, the Rev. John Burruss wrote in a post on the church’s website.

Visitation for Rainey will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday in the Gathering Space with a service to follow at 11 a.m. in the church’s nave. A reception will be held at noon.

Yeager’s funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. Wednesday in the nave and a reception to follow. He will have a private burial.

At 11 a.m. Thursday, services will be held for Pounds in the nave with a noon reception to follow at the Gathering Space.

All three services will be streamed online.

The Associated Press contributed to this report