Laz Smith

Raz "Gunmaestro" Smith is an assassin operating in New York City.

Appearance
Smith wears a wide-brimmed hat and a long overcoat, along the inside of which are lined his many firearms. He bears a scar across his nose from his fight with Berga Gandor.

Personality
Smith considers madness his highest ideal, and is convinced that he is insane himself; however, most other people just think he's self-absorbed. Despite Smith's excessive pride in himself and his profession, he has yet to actually kill someone.

1932
Smith is among the group of assassins hired by Gustavo Bagetta in the winter of 1932.

During the confrontation at the Daily Day’s office, Smith tries to shoot Claire Stanfield and Maria Barcelito while they are fighting each other. Berga intervenes, forcing the muzzles of his guns toward the floor, and making him shoot at his own feet instead. Smith fires at Berga until Berga punches him in the face and knocks him out.

Alkey uses Smith’s body as a shield when he fights Claire--however, thanks to the many guns inside Smith’s coat, he is protected from the shots that hit him.

Smith recovers by that summer at Fred's hospital. After his release, he finds Graham Specter and his gang at the speakeasy ‘Jane Doe’. Graham questions Smith’s declaration that he was gone for months soul searching, as he had heard from Maria about the fight at the Daily Day’s office. Smith claims that Maria was lying and vows to kill her.

Graham introduces Elmer C. Albatross to Smith once he notices him at the table. The two get along well with their eccentric personalities.

Smith then gives Graham five guns he had promised him earlier, and Graham manages to dismantle them all in a few seconds-- apparently having asked for them for expressly that purpose. After some initial frustration, Smith reassembles each gun in just as short of an amount of time. Smith confirms that he had been hospitalized by the Gandor Family, but makes excuses for his defeat.

Upon finishing his drink, Smith leaves the speakeasy to meet with Lester, his newest client. In an abandoned building near Grand Central Station, Lester tasks Smith with killing Mark Wilmans, the serial killer known as Ice Pick Thompson. Lester gives Smith a note with Mark’s description and address.

Smith goes to Mark’s apartment and waits. Once Mark returns, Smith locks the door and points a rifle at Mark’s head, but tells the boy he wants to know why he had become a serial killer before he kills him. Mark gives the story behind his pursuit of revenge. Smith then asks for Mark’s last words, to which Mark confesses that he had mistaken his last target and killed an innocent man instead. However, when Smith shows Mark a newspaper article, supposedly about the person he killed by accident, Mark discovers that Lisha Darken, his former caretaker, is being identified as Ice Pick Thompson’s fifth victim. Smith decides to spare Mark’s life, only asking for Ice Pick Thompson’s identity in exchange (owing to his lack of a reputation as an assassin).

Smith leaves and tells Graham, Shaft, and Elmer, just outside of the apartment, that he has killed Mark. The three accompany Smith up to the building in which he had first met with Lester. While Smith tells them to go off and do whatever they want, Elmer asks Smith if he really killed Mark. Smith insists that he did, to which Elmer whispers in his ear that he had noticed Smith’s smile was forced when he was first telling them he had killed Mark--which Elmer interpreted could mean he had spared Mark instead. Astonished, Smith leaves the three and goes into the abandoned building without another word.

Some time earlier, Lester had gone to the Gandor Family telling them that Smith was Ice Pick Thompson. He told them they would be able to find him at the abandoned building near Grand Central Station-- the same place where he had promised to meet with Smith again after the latter had carried out his job. Several members of the Gandor Family, including Nicola and Maria, go out to confront the serial killer who had murdered some of their men.

Once Smith enters the building, Maria goes ahead of the others and attacks him. They hold each other off until Nicola and the rest of the men interrupt them to prevent Maria from getting hurt while their bosses are out. They try to take Smith away when Graham suddenly appears and asks what's going on. Nicola tells him that Smith is Ice Pick Thompson, and Graham, amused, informs them that Smith has never killed anyone before. Smith goes on to assert that he is indeed Ice Pick Thompson and tells the entire story about his “quest” to avenge Paula Wilmans. Nicola remains doubtful and tries to take him away again. Graham intervenes, telling Nicola that he won’t let them take Smith without a fight. Nicola decides to face Graham one-on-one, seeing as how gunshots from the others would just attract the attention of police. However, Shaft suddenly appears with most of their gang, and Nicola calls off the fight, not wanting to start an all out war. Before he leaves, Nicola asks Smith if he really had not killed Lisha. Smith swears he had not, and tells him that Lester was the one who murdered her.

By that next evening, after everything had been cleared up, Smith has taken on Mark as his apprentice.

1935
By 1935, Smith and Mark are living at Fred's housing facility.

During Neider Schasschule's confrontation with Upham, Smith threatens Neider with a shotgun pointed to his head. Alkey restores order to the room when he smashes a liquor bottle against Neider's head, much to Smith's disappointment.

Smith is among those recruited by the Gandor Family in anticipation of the casino party at Ra's Lance

Relationships
Mark Wilmans - Smith was first hired to kill Mark, but decided to spare him in exchange for his identity as Ice Pick Thompson. Mark becomes Smith's apprentice after Lester's defeat.

Graham Specter - Graham and Smith first met while the latter was spreading rumors about himself among the delinquents of New York. Graham looks up to Smith in a way similar to his admiration for Ladd Russo.

Abilities
While Smith's specialty lies in guns, he admits his marksmanship is poor. He claims he makes up for this by rapidly firing at his targets.

Smith was also able to stand his ground during his fight with Maria Barcelito.