Russell Lee Smith (February 6, 1947 – May 24, 1975) was an American spree killer who killed two people and wounded nine others in Dayton, Ohio, United States on May 24, 1975.

When he was 17 years old Smith began to live with his aunt Evelyn Harris in Dayton and in 1968 he married, but his wife Laura later left him and as a result he became despondent and stopped caring for anything.

He was arrested repeatedly for drunkenness, armed robbery, auto theft, and attempted breaking and entering, and in 1970 was sentenced to one to ten years at the Mansfield Reformatory after pleading guilty to first degree manslaughter for the killing of a man during a shootout at a Dayton bar.

During his time in prison two psychiatrists who had examined him found that he had numerous traits of a sociopathic nature, that he would react violently during extremely stressful situations, and that this would undoubtedly cause trouble in his future.

Two weeks prior to the murders he talked with her about the fact that all members of his family had died early, and made her the beneficiary on his life insurance policy, because "nobody knew what's going to happen."

Apparently because she began to quarrel with him Smith killed Gatewood with a shot in the head and afterwards drove towards St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, shooting and seriously injuring on his way James Bailey in front of a YMCA building.