Rodney and Gwendolyn Smith have lived in the same small apartment house one block from the square in Ephrata for most of their 28 years of marriage.

He worked in a local quarry, she at a grocery store.

To their neighbors and landlord, the couple seemed just like any other.

But late Sunday night, apparently in the midst of an argument at their 121 N. State St. apartment, 46-year-old Rodney picked up a shotgun and shot his wife, police said.

Gwendolyn, who is also 46, was in critical condition at Lancaster General Hospital this morning, Ephrata police Lt. Thomas Shumaker said.

Authorities sought to allay fears among the public.

"The community does not need to be concerned that there's a random shooter out there," said District Attorney Craig Stedman. "I can tell you there's no evidence that this is a random shooting."

Shumaker said that when police arrived shortly after the 11:43 p.m. 911 call, "We learned that the suspect, Rodney F. Smith, shot his wife."

He was taken into custody at the scene and is being questioned about the shooting. No charges had been filed as of the New Era's print deadline.

Police said no one else was in the apartment at the time of the shooting. They did not say how many shots were fired or what the motive was.

John Troutman, who has rented the apartment to the Smiths for more than 20 years, said he was stunned to learn of the shooting.

"None of the neighbors ever heard anything about fighting between them," he said. "This is a shock to me. I always thought they got along fine."

Troutman said the Smiths had rented a second-floor apartment, but they moved to the ground-level unit a year ago when the former tenants moved out. The Smiths preferred not having to climb the steps because they both had health issues; she had a collapsed lung, and he had trouble with his legs.

"He was very sickly," said the Smiths' next-door neighbor, Gloria Eitnier. "When they moved downstairs, he told me he was so glad."

Eitnier said she did not hear any of the commotion Sunday night. She added that the Smiths were kind neighbors.

"They were very nice people. When they'd see you, they'd talk to you. Different times I would see him; I'd ask him how he was doing. He would say, 'Alright.' You didn't ever hear anything from them."

Eitnier only found out this morning that Smith was being questioned in his wife's shooting. "I said, 'Oh, my goodness. I can't hardly believe it.'"

The Smiths have one child, a son, who does not live at home.


Staff writer Tom Murse can be reached at tmurse@LNPnews.com or 481-6021.