Carol Stream man charged in wife’s roadside shooting

Prosecutors charged a Carol Stream man with attempted murder for the roadside shooting of his estranged wife Tuesday in Oakbrook Terrace.

Ronald D. Smith, 35, of the 700 block of Bluff Street, was ordered held on $500,000 bail Wednesday. He is charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery and aggravated discharge of a firearm.

Prosecutors said Smith was armed and waiting in a parking lot outside his wife’s place of work about 3 p.m. Tuesday when she was picked up by her sister and two passengers.

After Smith gave chase, prosecutors said, the vehicle carrying his wife lost control and spun out along Butterfield Road near Route 83, at which point Smith approached with a handgun and fired into the back seat where his wife sat.

Assistant State’s Attorney Nick Catizone said Smith shot the victim once in the wrist as she raised her arms in self-defense, but his attempts to keep firing were thwarted when the gun jammed. The victim then climbed into another vehicle driven by a good Samaritan who had just witnessed the disturbance.

Catizone said Smith continued to follow the good Samaritan and at one point forced that vehicle off the road and opened fire again. He said the victim and driver eventually made it safely to the Oakbrook Terrace police station.

“The victim underwent surgery and is recovering,” Catizone told DuPage County Judge Michael Wolfe in bond court Wednesday.

Prosecutors said Smith surrendered to police about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and confessed that he shot his wife with a gun he’d purchased in Maywood with the intent to kill himself.

“He indicated he was upset over his relationship ending,” Catizone told the judge.

About a dozen of Smith’s family members attended his bond hearing. Outside of court, they described him as a professional truck driver and “hardworking family man” who was separated from his wife, with whom he has two children, in April.

A woman who would identify herself only as Smith’s sister said her brother had become depressed recently over the relationship and was unable to eat or sleep. She accused her brother’s wife and family of provoking him during his time of trouble.

“They were bullying him on Facebook,” she said.

Wolfe set bail at $500,000, meaning Smith would need $50,000 to bond out of jail. If he is released, the judge ordered Smith to wear a GPS monitoring device, report regularly to court services, and avoid contact with the victims. Prosecutors said Smith’s criminal history includes charges of battery, criminal damage to property, and marijuana possession. He remained in the county jail as of Wednesday evening.