When an armed robber stormed into a Dollar General store in Columbus, Ohio, demanding all the money, the sun was still high in the sky. The robber targeted the dollar store in Dayton, Ohio, and was brandishing his weapon as a menace. However, on this occasion, rather than handing over cash, the Dollar General employee pulled out his own gun and fired at the robber several times.
Around 6:30 p.m., an armed robber wearing a mask and cape entered Dollar General on Old Dublin Pike in Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, brandishing a handgun. After being shot, the suspect fled the store but subsequently collapsed on the sidewalk outside. This all occurred around 6:20 p.m. Roosevelt Rappley, a 23-year-old from Montgomery County, is believed to be the culprit. The cause of death has not yet been determined, but according to Montgomery County Coroner Kent Harshbarger, he died as a result of being shot in the hands by a Dollar General employee.
Unfortunately, the police had previously arrested him. Lt. Jason Hall stated: “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 still investigating Rappley’s criminal record. The Dayton police are continuing to look into what occurred at Dollar General that day, but there is no cause for concern that anything other than an armed robbery was attempted by Rappley when he was shot by the cashier.
The relatives of the deceased do not want to accept that he was actually committing a felony at the time he was shot by the Dollar General employee. Instead, they are portraying Roosevelt as a victim of “a mindless act of violence” who is now “a victim of the system.”
There is no denying that Roosevelt Rappley was a career criminal, however his conduct on August 19th does not excuse him. The Dollar General cashier was defending himself and had the legal right to protect himself as well as his property from being subjected to deadly force.
An eye-witness account claims otherwise, however Rappley’s family refuses to accept that he may have been committing a felony in the moments before his death. According to the witness, the perpetrator entered the budget store with a weapon and ordered money from the register. The witness claimed that Rappley was aiming a gun at people, and that an armed employee confronted him.
In one 911 call, the caller claimed that he was robbed by an armed robber with a weapon while 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,” and that the suspect “shot back.” The number of shots fired in the deadly gunfight is still being evaluated.
Dollar General issued the following statement regarding the assault in their shop:
“To protect the integrity of these measures, we do not comment on them specifically,” the company stated. “We are continuing to review the circumstance surrounding this evening’s events in Dayton, Ohio, and are cooperating with local authorities in their investigation.”
