An armed robber entered a Dollar General store in Dayton, Ohio at sunset and demanded all the cash from the store located at 2228 North Gettysburg Avenue. The robber threatened the store employees with his gun while attempting to escape after the robbery. Despite the attempted robbery, the clerk at Dollar General took action and used their own firearm to shoot the perpetrator multiple times instead of surrendering the money.
At around 6:20 pm, a suspect named Roosevelt Rappley was identified as the 23-year-old armed robber. He fled the store after being shot and collapsed on the pavement outside. The cause of death of the person is still not determined, but the coroner, Kent Harshbarger, believes that the report will reveal that the person died as a result of the gunshot wounds inflicted by the Dollar General clerk.
Lt. Jason Hall stated that the police had dealt with Rappley in the past: “The deceased did have a pending weapons charge that was waiting to move forward. Right now, we are looking into the possibility that this individual may have been involved in several other commercial robberies.”
The Dayton Police Department is currently investigating Rappley’s criminal background. Additionally, they are investigating the incident at Dollar General. However, based on the available information, it appears that Rappley was attempting an armed robbery when he was shot by the clerk.
The family of the deceased is refusing to acknowledge that their relative was engaged in criminal activity when he was shot by the Dollar General clerk. Rather, they are presenting Roosevelt as an innocent man who suffered from a “senseless act of violence” and is now a “victim of the system.”
Although Roosevelt Rappley may have committed other robberies, his past actions do not excuse his behavior on August 19th. The Dollar General clerk was acting in self-defense and was completely justified in protecting himself and his property from the threat of deadly force.
Despite his family denied any involvement in criminal activity prior to his death, an eyewitness report contradicts their claim. The witness saw the suspect enter the dollar store with a gun and demand money from the register. When the armed employee confronted the suspect, Rappley was pointing the gun at people, according to the witness.
During a 911 call, the caller reported that a person carrying a gun attempted to rob him at the Dayton Dollar General store.
The caller stated: “He pointed a gun at me. I had a firearm on me. I pulled my firearm, and I shot him in self-defense,” before saying that the suspect “shot back.” The authorities are trying to determine the number of shots that were fired during the fatal shootout.
Dollar General released a statement specifically addressing the incident that took place in their store where a person was killed.
“To protect the integrity of these measures, we do not comment on them specifically,” the statement read. “We are continuing to review the circumstance surrounding this evening’s events in Dayton, Ohio, and are cooperating with local authorities in their investigation.”
