RIVERSIDE — UPDATE @ 11 a.m. (July 29):
Body camera footage captured a man firing shots within seconds of a Riverside officer responding to reports of a burglary, home invasion robbery, and hostage situation late Tuesday night.
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Police held a news conference Thursday morning to release new details, including body camera footage and 911 calls, surrounding the officer-involved shooting Tuesday that resulted in a Springfield man dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Kevlin Wallace, 39, of Springfield, was identified by police and the Montgomery County Coroner the suspect in the incident.
Riverside Police Chief Frank Robinson led the news conference with releasing the 911 call made by a woman who just returned home from work just before 10:30 p.m.
In the 911 call, the woman said a man had broke into her home and had her boyfriend, daughter, and the child’s grandfather held hostage inside their home in the 2500 block of Rondowa Avenue. The caller also reported the man had a gun held to their heads, according to the 911 call released by police Thursday.
Riverside officer Sgt. James Vance, an over 20-year veteran of the department arrived on the scene within 43 seconds of being dispatched, Robinson said.
Body cam footage released during the news conference showed shots were fired at Vance within seconds of him arriving on the scene. Vance and Wallace exchanged gunfire over about a 30 second period. Robinson said neither Vance nor Wallace were hit by the gunfire.
Previously, police said Wallace ran from the scene towards the area of North Pleasant Valley Avenue and Bushnell Avenue. A second piece of body camera footage released during the news conference captured police converging on the area they thought Wallace was hiding when a single gunshot was heard.
Wallace was found suffering from a single gunshot wound to his head. He was taken to Miami Valley Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is leading the entire investigation, starting with the burglary and hostage situation, through the exchange of gunfire. Robinson said the BCI is looking into Wallace’s possible connections into other crimes in Springfield.
Robinson said his department could not confirm, but BCI was “trying to connect those dots” between a Springfield home invasion that Wallace might have been a suspect in and a pursuit that ended in Huber Heights just before the confrontation in Riverside.
Vance has been placed on paid administrative leave, per standard department policy. Robinson said Vance responded correctly to the situation, saved his own life, and the life of the 911 caller.
Robinson also praised the use of body cams saying it has helped his department in this investigation.
“As you can see it really helped in telling the story,” he said.
We’ll update this story as we learn more.
PREVIOUS REPORT:
Riverside police are holding a news conference Thursday morning to release new details into an officer-involved shooting Tuesday night where a man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to investigators.
On Wednesday, police said the man who exchanged gunfire with an officer died from a self-inflicted wound and not from shots fired by the officer.
Kevlin Wallace, 39, of Springfield, was identified as the man who died in the incident, Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger said in a media release Wednesday.
The incident began as a report of a burglary or home invasion robbery at a home in the 2500 block of Rondowa Avenue just before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The first officer on scene, identified as Sgt. James Vance, found a woman pointing at a potential suspect in the burglary, a Riverside police spokesperson said in a media release issued Wednesday afternoon. Investigators said Vance drew his gun and approached the suspect, later identified as Wallace, when Wallace began firing shots towards Vance, the spokesperson said in the release.
“The suspect then begins to shoot at Sgt. Vance who returns fire while attempting to provide safety for the female witness. Sgt. Vance exchanges several rounds with the suspect who was actively shooting at him,” the spokesperson said.
The exchange of gunfire lasts for about 30 seconds before Wallace ran from the scene towards the area of North Pleasant Valley Avenue and Bushnell Avenue. After the shots were fired several officers from surrounding jurisdictions responded to a call for officer assistance, the spokesperson said.
While police from several jurisdictions began searching for Wallace, a second Riverside officer, identified as Officer Perfetti, reports seeing Wallace behind a house in the 200 block of North Pleasant Valley Avenue.
“Officer Perfetti while directing officers to the suspect’s location hears a single gunshot and takes cover. This single gunshot is the only gunshot reported by any officer,” the spokesperson said.
Wallace was then found in the home’s backyard suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to Miami Valley Hospital where he was later pronounced dead, police said.
A preliminary autopsy report by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office found Wallace died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the spokesperson said. Police did not say if Wallace was hit by any of the gunfire from Vance, who was the only officer who fired a weapon in the incident.
The police spokesperson said Vance is an over 20-year veteran of the department.
Previously, police said Vance would be placed on administrative leave while the incident is investigated. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has been requested to conduct the investigation.
We’ll continue to update this story as we learn more.
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