Thalia Gardens shooter had more guns and ammo

VIRGINIA BEACH

The man who police say opened fire on apartment complex workers a week ago, killing two and wounding three before killing himself, had an additional gun and plenty of ammunition to do more damage, according to court documents.

“As bad as it was, it could have been worse,” said Adam Bernstein, police spokesman.

William T. Smith shot at a workers with two semi-automatic weapons in the Thalia Gardens apartment complex last Wednesday when they came to the door of the unit he was in to do an inspection, police said.

After the shooting, police searched the apartment and found another  rifle and scope, two boxes of ammunition, two fully-loaded “banana” magazines, a rifle stock and barrel, a gas mask, $335 in cash, and a box full of writings, according to a search warrant affidavit.

Smith, firing an AK-47 assault rifle and a MAC-10 semi-automatic pistol,  killed Rebecca Hughes, 32, and Sam Shestul, 63, both maintenance workers at the complex, before apparently shooting himself.

The apartment was leased to Smith’s mother, police said.