Sheriff: Bedford bowling coach fatally shot teen he taught, then killed himself

Watch the full news conference in the video at the end of this story.

BEDFORD TWP., Mich. (WTVG) - A bowling coach in Monroe County shot and killed a 17-year-old girl who was on the Bedford High School bowling team, investigators said, but the motive is still unknown.

Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough said Wednesday 33-year-old Ryne Leist, of Temperance, allegedly shot and killed 17-year-old Gwen Smith at her step father’s home on W. Sterns Road on June 14. The sheriff said Leist “made entry” into the home and shot the teen multiple times before turning the gun on himself.

Investigators are still determining how Leist got inside the home.

Smith, who recently graduated from Bedford High School, was a member of the club bowling team Leist coached, the sheriff said. Just Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said that Leist was not employed as a coach for Bedford Public Schools, sparking further confusion in the community. He sought to clarify those comments on Wednesday, saying that he learned additional information that Leist was in fact a bowling coach for the club, but he was not a paid employee of the school district.

“In fact a picture did in fact appear of him and the Bowling Team in the 2024-2025 yearbook,” said Sheriff Goodnough.

Goodnough said Leist was paid through Forestview Lanes, the bowling alley where he previously worked. The sheriff said Leist was no longer an employee at the Temperance establishment at the time of the fatal shootings. Authorities didn’t have a clear timeline as to when he left the bowling alley or why, but did say they believed Leist resigned from his position a “short time period” before the shooting.

Goodnough said there’s no evidence to indicate the two were ever in a dating relationship. The sheriff said Smith did not consider Leist a romantic partner.

There’s still no known motive as to why Leist killed Smith.

Goodnough said the that there was a communication between Leist and Smith just five days before the fatal shootings that investigators are looking into, but he wasn’t able to elaborate on that further.

It’s unknown exactly how long the two knew each other. The investigation is still ongoing.

The sheriff said the murder suicide is in no way connected to the incident in Raisin Township in which two teenagers were found dead from gunshot wounds.

Goodnough said it’s been a tough time for the employees of the sheriff’s office and that he is grateful for their investigate efforts despite the trying times.

“It’s been a difficult four and a half days,” Goodnough said, holding back tears. “We’re here today to give the community some answers, to put their minds at rest that there is no danger to them. And we will, like every investigation that the sheriff’s office handles, do a complete, thorough, concise investigation.”

The sheriff said that Bedford Local Schools leadership has activated their crisis management team to provide support to students who knew Gwen, or need resources.

Goodnough said any citizen can contact central dispatch to be connected with resources.

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