On February 10, 2023, Fountain Inn, South Carolina, was the scene of a triple shooting that left 72-year-old Richard Ernest Smith dead alongside his 45-year-old son, Andrew Paul Smith. A third person, a woman whose identity has been protected, survived wounds from the incident. Law enforcement found all three at a home on Ivy Woods Court.

The investigation identified 45-year-old Patrick Piotte as the sole suspect; he was arrested in nearby Spartanburg County soon after the shootings. Piotte had been living with Richard and Andrew Smith at the Fountain Inn residence for about a year and moved out only weeks before the violence. Authorities say Piotte and at least one of the victims were known to each other.

Piotte was charged with two counts of murder, attempted murder for the wounded woman, first-degree burglary and other offenses, and was denied bond at his initial hearing. What led to the shootings has not been established publicly.