From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
SPRINGVILLE — The Springville Police Department made two arrests in connection to several cars that were shot on the night of Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. The Ashville Police Department believes the suspects could be connected to car shootings in their city.
Alexander Hyche, 18, and Jordan Smith, 20, both of Gadsden, are now facing charges.
Ashville Police Chief Ed Hampton said they had one confirmed case of a car being shot and one possible case they are still investigating.
“We believe they are connected because the timeline is 15 minutes prior to the stuff happening in Springville,” said Hampton. “A few minutes before that it happened in Steele.”
Sgt. Frank Mathews with Springville Police said investigators believe the two used a slingshot to shoot the cars.
“They used a slingshot with marbles to fire at the cars with,” said Mathews. “None of the victims in the cars were hurt.”
Mathews said the pair shot the marbles from a moving vehicle.
“They were going southbound on Highway 11 and were firing at cars that were going in the opposite direction,” said Mathews. “We had eight cars in Springville city limits that were damaged.”
Mathews said he is thankful for the hard work of the Springville Police Department. He said he hopes these young men are able to learn a lesson from their experience and make better decisions in the future.
Hyche and Smith are now facing charges of throwing/shooting into an occupied vehicle and criminal mischief. They were both placed in the St. Clair County Jail in Ashville on Tuesday, Feb. 18. They were each given $8,000 in bonds and they both bonded out of jail on the same day.
On the same night that Springville Police received calls about someone shooting at cars, several other law enforcement agencies received similar calls. The Gadsden Police Department, the Argo Police Department and the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office are investigating to find out if all the cases are connected.
Both suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.