A Michigan father is facing a murder charge among others after killing one of his children and wounding two others. Jeffery Smerer allegedly shot three of his children on the morning he was supposed to be sentenced for an indecent exposure conviction. The two children who survived face serious medical challenges that have them in the hospital. Those close to Smerer say he was a devoted dad, and they can’t figure out what led him to shoot his children.
On September 11, 2025, Port Huron Police Department officers responded to multiple 911 calls with reports that people had been shot, the department noted in a news release. When police arrived at the home, they found three children with gunshot wounds. It was reportedly revealed that they were all shot by their father, who was taken into police custody “without incident.” Police also called the shootings a “domestic-related incident.”
The victims included a 17-year-old boy, who was taken to the hospital and later died from his wounds, a 12-year-old girl, and a 13-year-old boy, CBS News reported. They were listed in critical but stable condition.
“It’s tragic,” Port Huron Police Chief Brian Kerrigan told the outlet at the time of the incident. “I don’t know if we will ever have a sensible answer to it at all.”
Although the initial statement from police didn’t provide a name for the suspect, he was later identified as Smerer, 44. According to police, Smerer’s wife and 20-year-old son wrestled with the man to stop him from any additional devastation, CBS News reported.
Authorities said Smerer was out on bond for an unrelated crime at the time of the shootings. He was convicted on an indecent exposure charge from 2020 earlier this year. He was actually supposed to show up in court for sentencing the day of the shootings.
The child who died was identified as Kayleb, and Kinzley and Bentley are still in the hospital. Their aunt, Victoria Frazer, spoke with WXYZ, providing an update about their conditions. “The younger boy is off the ventilator. He’s breathing on his own. They are going to try to have him get up and walk,” she explained. Frazier added that Bentley was dealing with facial fractures.
His sister is in much worse condition, however. “The daughter, she does have a bullet lodged in the back of her spine. And she, they’re saying she’s going to be paralyzed from the neck down,” Frazer shared.
Frazer and other family members are still trying to figure out what led Smerer to shoot his children. “He woke up, woke the kids up to go to school and ya know, it was a regular day and something just happened. It doesn’t make sense,” she told WXYZ. According to Frazer, Smerer had a stroke that left him unable to work.
A GoFundMe account has been established to help the family in the wake of this unexpected tragedy.
Smerer appeared in court on September 30, Fox 2 reported. According to the prosecution, the father allegedly admitted to the crime and told authorities he had been thinking about it for a week before actually shooting his children.
Smerer has been charged with open murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder, two counts of first-degree child abuse, and five counts of felony firearm, per Fox 2. He has been denied bond and can’t have contact with his victims.
