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Vandergrift woman charged with shooting man she called her cousin

Westmoreland County Prison

Vandergrift woman charged with shooting man she called her cousin

Police have charged a 35-year-old Vandergrift woman with the fatal shooting of a Greensburg man she called her cousin.

Ashley Croft was charged with homicide early Friday morning after police said in court paperwork that she confessed to shooting at the victim, John E. Smail, three times after pulling a handgun from her purse.

Vandergrift police were called to Ms. Croft's apartment in the 500 block of Longfellow Street around 10 a.m. Thursday for a shooting.

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They found the body of Mr. Smail, 31, near the apartment's back door. He was on his back and was pronounced dead at 11:23 p.m. His car was parked behind the apartment.

Ms. Croft, who was standing with police officers on the front porch, spontaneously said that "she shot her cousin, John," according to a police affidavit supporting her arrest. "I was sleeping and dreaming, I woke up, I was high today and I was out of it. John said he was leaving."

Ms. Croft told officers that she then said to her cousin, "If I'm staying here, you're not leaving alive," according to the affidavit.

She then said she shot Mr. Smail, the affidavit said.

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Ms. Croft told police that investigators would find at least two guns in the apartment. They said they located three spent shell casings and two handguns.

An upstairs tenant told police that Ms. Croft was holding a gun while in the backyard, according to the affidavit. She told the witness to "get a phone" and that "he is trying to kill me," the court paperwork said.

Police said the witness reported hearing banging and thuds followed by between one and three shots.

After the shooting, another witness "observed Croft holding the black handgun and she made the statement that she killed her cousin," the affidavit said.

The witness got Ms. Croft to drop the gun.

Police said she confessed around 12:15 a.m Friday while being interviewed in the Vandergrift police station.

The Westmoreland County Coroner's Office said Mr. Smail had gunshot wounds of the neck, chest, abdomen and arm.

Jonathan D. Silver: jsilver@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1962 or on Twitter @jsilverpg.

Correction, posted Oct. 19, 2018: In an earlier version of this story John E. Smail’s last name was spelled incorrectly.

First Published: October 19, 2018, 7:50 p.m.

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