On April 22, 2026, officers responded to a shooting report at 69XX Humboldt Avenue North in Brooklyn Center, Hennepin County, Minnesota. Dispatch notes relayed that a male (“Victim 1”) had called and stated that Ariyana Smith had shot at him twice with a pink handgun. Officers later fully identified the suspect as Defendant ARIYANA ANN SMITH, born 01/11/1995. Responding officers spoke with Victim 1 at a nearby location. Victim 1 reported that Defendant had shot at him and described her as wearing a tie-dye shirt.
Victim 1 explained that he had gone to the apartment complex to drop off a friend. Both Victim 1 and Defendant saw each other and began yelling at each other. Defendant then shot twice at Victim 1’s car. Victim 1 made a U-turn in the parking lot while calling 911. Dispatch asked him to describe Defendant’s vehicle, so Victim 1 drove back to the apartment complex. When Victim 1 returned, Defendant shot at Victim 1 again. Officers noted that the vehicle Victim 1 was driving had a bullet hole in the grille area.
Victim 1 described Defendant firing a pink and black LC9 firearm. Victim 1 and Defendant dated for five years and have a minor child in common, and this child witnessed the shooting. Other officers responded to the shooting scene, which was the parking lot of an apartment complex. There, officers located Defendant and her mother standing near a silver Chevrolet Impala. Officers located an unfired cartridge and a discharged cartridge casing in the parking lot near the Impala. In a Miranda statement, Defendant initially denied possessing a firearm and claimed that Victim 1 shot her.
Later, Defendant admitted that the firearm was in the glove box of the Impala and that she had fired shots after a brief physical altercation with Victim 1. Defendant explained that she fired the first shot in the air to scare Victim 1 as he walked away. Once Victim 1 entered his vehicle and drove off, Defendant feared that he may return because Victim 1 briefly stopped the vehicle. Defendant then fired off two more rounds toward Victim 1, after which Victim 1 drove away. Defendant stated that she shot at Victim 1 because she “needed to do something for herself” and because she was fed up with Victim 1 always causing her problems.
Defendant confirmed that she was the only person who fired a gun that day and that she shot at Victim 1 to scare him. Victim 2 was in the vehicle with Victim 1 and described Victim 1 and Defendant having a verbal argument about child issues. Victim 2 saw Defendant return to her vehicle, grab a brown fanny pack, and shoot twice at Victim 1 and Victim 2’s vehicle. Victim 2 described Defendant’s firearm as a pink and black compact style pistol. Witness 1 was in their residence and heard noise coming from the parking lot.
Witness 1 activated the Ring camera on their balcony and provided that footage to officers. The camera captured yelling between female parties and a male party. An officer reviewing the footage then heard sounds consistent with gunshots. Defendant is in custody.
