Duncansville man admits to killing
Jenkins turns himself in to police after fatal shooting of neighbor

Jenkins
A Duncansville man, who alleged his neighbor molested him and his sister when they were children, faces murder charges after a deadly confrontation Thursday evening.
According to court documents, David Harold Jenkins, 51, turned himself in to state police after he shot and killed Zachary Scott Smola, 60.
Jenkins, who drove to the Hollidaysburg state police barracks after the shooting, told police that he tried several times, with no success, to report Smola, who he believed molested him and his sister. He would have been 11 or 12 years old at the time, according to a private criminal complaint.
Jenkins told police that he felt justice was not being done and in his most recent attempt, on Sept. 17, filed the private criminal complaint.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Jenkins attempted to follow up on that complaint by contacting the Blair County District Attorney’s Office at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, but he said those results were unsatisfactory.
During an interview with Allegheny Township and state police, Jenkins said he felt justice needed to be done and he left his home about 6:30 p.m. to look for Smola. When he saw Smola on a lawn tractor, he confronted him and tried to “choke” him. The two then got into a physical fight, wrestling and exchanging punches, Jenkins told police.
Jenkins said he took an AR-47 from his car and discharged one round, striking Smola in the head from about 10 feet away, the affidavit states. He then got into his car, left the scene and drove to the state police headquarters where he turned himself in, according to his account to state police.
Police reported that Jenkins had a cut on his hand and defensive wounds on his face, corroborating his statements regarding the physical altercation with Smola.
Allegheny Township police were dispatched about 6:33 p.m. to the Longview Drive, Duncansville, scene after the Blair County 911 center received a reported weapons call by a person who stated “David Jenkins just shot Zachary Smola,” according to the affidavit.
During the investigation into the incident, a witness told police they heard a loud bang, saw a white Ford Focus drive away and saw Smola laying in the middle of the roadway.
That witness said the Focus was owned and driven by Jenkins, who lives nearby.
Another witness reported to police that he heard arguing while he was inside his home. He looked out the window and saw Jenkins and Smola arguing. He also saw Jenkins pull Smola off the lawn mower he was operating and the two began fighting, that witness told police.
When the witness was unable to get his phone to connect to 911, he ran toward Smola’s home to have Smola’s wife call 911. At that time, he heard the gunshot, saw Smola laying in the street and saw Jenkins lower a long gun and put it into his vehicle.
Jenkins then left the scene, the witness told police.
A few minutes later, at 6:38 p.m., Jenkins arrived at the Hollidaysburg state police barracks, the affidavit states.
There, he told a police communications officer on a recorded line that “I’m here to turn myself in.” When asked why by the officer, Jenkins said “for murder.”
A trooper took Jenkins into custody and checked out Jenkins’ Focus in the parking lot, noting the car appeared to have “biological material” on the trunk and rear. The officer also saw a rifle and loaded magazine on the passenger-side floor.
Police covered Jenkins’ hands to preserve evidence for gunshot residue testing, the report states.
Police also applied for and received a search warrant for the Focus, locating the AR-47 used in the shooting, along with a loaded drum-style magazine with 73 rounds of live ammunition, court documents state.
During the investigation, police learned that immediately after the shooting, Jenkins called the mother of his children and told her that he shot the neighbor. The woman and her current husband told police they did not know which neighbor Jenkins shot, but he told them he was driving to the state police barracks to turn himself in.
Police also learned that Jenkins spoke with the woman and her husband on Sept. 17 in regard to a “pedophile,” as Jenkins stated, however the couple did not know whom he was talking about. Jenkins told them that his sister was molested by the same individual, the couple told police.
On Friday, Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks said there was an active investigation concerning a private criminal complaint made by Jenkins.
According to Weeks, Jenkins did call the office on Thursday afternoon, shortly before the office closed. When the call got disconnected, a secretary was able to get Jenkins back on the line and referred Jenkins to another secretary who handles the private criminal complaints.
Jenkins left a voicemail with that secretary, Weeks said.
Weeks said Jenkins admitted that he didn’t have proof of the assaults. Weeks said while the alleged incidents happened many years ago and the district attorney’s office could not bring charges in Jenkins’ case, a detective was assigned to investigate the allegations. The case was under active investigation as of Thursday, Weeks said.
Jenkins was arraigned Friday morning before Magisterial District Judge Benjamin F. Jones on murder of the first degree and murder of the second degree, felony charges of aggravated assault, misdemeanor charges of strangulation, tampering with evidence and possession of a weapon, along with a summary charge of unlawful possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle.
Bail has been denied.
Jenkins has a preliminary hearing set for Oct. 17 before Magisterial District Judge Matthew Dunio and remains lodged in the Blair County Prison.