Howland police shooting: ‘It was life or death out there’

By Bob Jackson

news@vindy.com

HOWLAND

Someone was bound to die Tuesday night in the middle of a busy grocery store parking lot.

Of that, there was no doubt, according to Trumbull County Sheriff Paul Monroe.

“It was life or death out there Tuesday night,” Monroe said. “Those guys had to make a split-second decision. Fortunately, they went home that night.”

Monroe was referring to Howland Township Police Chief Nicholas Roberts and Assistant Chief Jeffrey Urso, who fatally shot 34-year-old Richard N. Latimer during an altercation in the parking lot of the Giant Eagle grocery store on East Market Street late Tuesday night.

The officers’ names had not been made public until Saturday, when Monroe and other township officials had a news conference.

Latimer, who had addresses in Howland and Girard, was a wanted man after a shooting earlier Tuesday that resulted in the death of Van Blevins, 44, at Blevins’ home on Main Street in Mineral Ridge.

Authorities believe Latimer shot Blevins because of a domestic dispute stemming from Latimer’s wife, Candace, communicating with Blevins via social media. Police attempted to arrest Latimer early Tuesday morning because of a separate domestic dispute with his wife, but Latimer escaped on foot and became the subject of a manhunt leading up to his death.

Between the time he ran from police and his being shot in the Giant Eagle parking lot, Latimer reportedly shot and killed Blevins. Candace Latimer was apparently at Blevins’ home at the time and told police she witnessed the shooting. She fled to a nearby Taco Bell, from where she called police.

The sheriff said Roberts and Urso are members of the Trumbull County Homicide Task Force and were assisting in the investigation into Blevins’ shooting, which happened in Weathersfield Township.

Sgt. Jennifer Carr, who has been appointed acting chief of the Howland Township Police Department, said authorities received information late Tuesday that Latimer was headed to the Giant Eagle parking lot to meet someone. She could not say who he was going to meet, or why, referring those questions to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which is handling the official investigation of the shooting.

Jill Del Greco, BCI spokesperson, declined to comment further, and said the investigation likely won’t be wrapped up until after the final autopsy and toxicology reports on Latimer are done, which usually takes several months.

Once the investigation is completed, BCI will hand over its findings to the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office, which will decide whether any criminal charges should be filed against the officers, Del Greco said.

Carr said Roberts and Urso went to Giant Eagle and identified Latimer’s car through a check of its license plate. They approached Latimer, who was armed, and that’s when the shooting took place. Witnesses told police that Urso and Roberts ordered Latimer several times to drop his gun before they fired their guns at him.

Monroe said he felt it important for the public to know that Latimer had pointed his gun at the officers, leading them to believe their lives were in danger. In light of other officer-involved shootings across the United States, for which police have been criticized, Monroe wanted to make it clear that Roberts and Urso had no choice but to fire on Latimer.

“Those officers did in fact have a gun leveled at them,” Monroe said Saturday at the Howland Township Administration Building. “They had to make a split-second decision and I give them credit for doing what needed to be done to protect their lives and the lives of innocent bystanders.”

Monroe said it’s fortunate that no one else was hurt during the altercation and commended Roberts and Urso for their actions under the circumstances.

“They didn’t choose that location; Mr. Latimer did,” Monroe said.

Carr said that Roberts and Urso “took every precaution they could” to protect their own lives, as well as the lives of other people in the parking lot that night.

Roberts and Urso are on administrative leave while the matter is being investigated. Neither was harmed during the shooting, but they must be medically cleared before returning to work, Carr said.

Monroe and Carr said neither Roberts nor Urso were wearing body cameras that night, and that their cruisers did not have dash-cameras, so there is no video evidence of the shooting.

Carr expressed condolences from the police department to Latimer’s family, and asked that the privacy of Roberts and Urso and their families be respected during the investigation.

Township trustees Rick Clark, James LaPolla Jr. and Matthew Vansuch attended the news conference to stand behind Roberts and Urso.

“We do support these two officers,” said Clark, trustee chairman. “We are confident that they acted appropriately to protect the safety of Howland Township.”