Dollar General shooting: Man shot after attempted armed robbery identified

DAYTON — A man shot after an attempted armed robbery at a Dayton Dollar General has been identified.

Roosevelt Rappley, 23, of Dayton, died around 6:27 p.m. Wednesday, according to Montgomery County Coroner Kent Harshbarger.

The cause and manner of death have not been determined yet.

>> Dayton police: Dollar General clerk shoots, kills armed robber

Here’s what we know so far:

• A male suspect, believed to be in his 20s, entered the 2228 North Gettysburg Avenue Dollar General with a gun around 6:20 p.m. Wednesday.
• A clerk shot the suspect after he demanded money.
  
• The suspect walked outside and collapsed outside the store's front doors.
• The suspect was identified as Roosevelt Rappley, 23, of Dayton.

Rappley was known to police, said Lt. Jason Hall.

“The deceased did have a pending weapons charge that was waiting to move forward,” he said. “Right now we are looking into the possibility of this individual may have been involved in several other commercial robberies.”

Witnesses at the Dollar General told investigators that a person entered the store, revealed a handgun and then demanded money from the cash register, Hall said.

A worker, who was not working at the cash register, was armed and confronted Rappley.

Witnesses said that he pointed the gun at employees, Hall said.

In a 911 call, a man told dispatchers that a man with a gun attempted to rob him at the store.

“He pointed a gun at me,” the caller said. “I had a firearm on me. I pulled my firearm and I shot him in self defense.”

>> Dollar General shooting: ‘I shot him in self-defense,’ clerk says

The caller also said that the suspect “shot back,” but it is not clear how many shots were fire during the incident.

Hall said that detectives are still examining evidence and ballistics from the scene to determine how many shots were fire and what weapon fired them.

He also told dispatchers that there was other staff in the store at the time and that the suspect pointed a gun at them as well.

News Center 7 reached out to Dollar General about the company’s policy regarding armed employees.

“I have no idea what their store policies are,” said Sgt. Thomas Schloss. “I’m sure the detectives will ask that question.”

>> Dollar General shooting: Armed employees policy for company unclear

Dollar General did not confirm or deny if employees were allowed to carry firearms, but did say that they have “a number of safety and security procedures.”

“To protect the integrity of these measures, we do not comment on them specifically,” said a statement issued by the company. “We are continuing to review the circumstance surrounding this evening's events in Dayton, Ohio, and are cooperating with local authorities in their investigation.”

Because Dollar General is considered private property, the employee did not need a CCW, said Hall.

“As far the as the employee at Dollar General, he was legally possessing a weapon,” he said. “He was on private property at his place of employment.”

>> Secret security: Workers arming themselves for protection while on the clock

Dayton police said they are not releasing store surveillance video of the incident.

Sgt. Schloss said that Dollar General stores have been hit hard these last few months, but he wasn’t aware of an uptick in crime.

Police said that the Gettysburg store has been robbed four times this year.

We will continue to update this story as more information is available.