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

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

A Dollar General clerk fatally shot an armed robber Wednesday night inside the store at 2228 North Gettysburg Avenue.

“I just had somebody try to attempt and rob me over here at Dollar General on Gettysburg,” the 911 caller said. “Came in with a firearm, threatened to take money out the drawer, pointed a gun at me and my staff members.”

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The suspect, believed to be in his 20s, entered the store about 6:20 p.m. with a firearm, and the clerk shot him after he demanded money, Dayton police Sgt. Thomas Schloss said.

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

Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger said Roosevelt Rappley, 23, of Dayton, was pronounced dead at the the scene.

Schloss said the suspect walked out of the store after being shot and collapsed outside the front doors.

“He’s laying in front of my store,” said the caller. “He's laying down in front of my door on the sidewalk."

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It’s not clear how many shots were fired, but when dispatchers asked the caller if the suspect fired any shots in the store, he said, “he shot back.”

It’s also not clear if the robber showed his gun or told the clerk he had one.

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