Plymouth County man held without bail after being accused of killing man by running him over with vehicle, hitting him with brick multiple times

BROCKTON – A Brockton man was arraigned today on charges relating to a fatal incident
where he is accused of striking a pedestrian in Brockton with his vehicle before
repeatedly hitting him with a brick, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz
has announced.

Vasco Semedo, 46, was arraigned in Plymouth Superior Court on charges of Murder,
Assault with Intent to Murder, and three counts of Assault & Battery with a Deadly
Weapon. Semedo pleaded not guilty to all charges and is being held without bail.

On the morning of April 6, 2024, Brockton Police received several 911 calls for
reports of a motor vehicle versus pedestrian crash at 65 North Main Street. Upon arrival,
Brockton Police located the driver — later identified as Semedo — being detained by
witnesses at the scene. Officers also located the pedestrian, 50-year-old Stuart Smith,
who was found unresponsive near the defendant’s vehicle. Smith was pronounced dead
after being transported to Good Samaritan Hospital and subsequently med-flighted to
Massachusetts General Hospital.

Semedo was arrested on scene. Through witness accounts and surveillance video
footage, investigators found that Semedo — operating a Toyota Rav 4 — struck Smith
with his vehicle, backed up and drove into the victim again before exiting the vehicle and
repeatedly hitting the victim with a brick as he lay on the ground.

Assistant District Attorneys Daniel Higgins and John Bok are prosecuting this
case. It was investigated by Brockton Police with assistance from the Plymouth County
District Attorney’s Office and Massachusetts State Police.

Semedo is next scheduled to appear in court on April 29 for a pretrial conference.