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The October 21 shooting of former NBA player Charles E. Smith in the Fairwood community of Bowie, Maryland, was over a gambling dispute, police have confirmed.
Police spokeswoman Sgt. Michelle Reedy told the Gazette that a search of the house where Smith resided and was found shot turned up "a large quantity of cocaine and evidence of a gambling operation,” including ledgers.
As of Thursday October 27, Smith remained in fair condition.
The suspect, who is yet to be apprehended, is described as a black man, 5 feet, 5 inches tall with long black hair, wearing a red hat, brown jacket and blue jeans and carrying a handgun.
"Nothing this serious has happened in the five years we've been living here," Dinko Miljkovic, a neighbor who lives on a nearby street, told the local paper. "This is a nice neighborhood, really quiet, with a lot of kids about."
Charles E. Smith played College Basketball for Georgetown as a point guard, earning All-America and Big East Player of the Year honors in 1989. He was the Hoyas leading scorer his final two seasons at the school, averaging 15.7 and 18.7 points per game his junior and senior seasons.
Smith joined the NBA as a free agent, playing briefly for the Boston Celtics before being convicted of vehicular homicide and serving two and a half years in state prison. Smith’s car had struck two Boston University students.
After leaving prison, Smith tried to resurrect his NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves but was later waived.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
