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A man suspected in the death of another man threatened Tuesday to kill himself before being gunned down by an officer outside the Giant Eagle on East Market Street in Howland, according to police.
Police were searching for Richard Latimer, 34, after a woman reported around 7 p.m. Tuesday she saw her husband shoot Van Blevins, 44, at Blevins' 3518 Main St. home in Weathersfield, according to a report and 911 call.
Latimer's son, Andrew Devellin, 19, confirmed his father was killed by police. Latimer died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to a news release from the Mahoning County Coroner's Office.
"He said he wasn't going back to prison and was doing what he had to do for his family," Devellin said, referring to the last conversation the father and son had.
Candace Latimer, 39, whose report of domestic violence against Latimer the night before at their 6049 Mines Road home led to a warrant for his arrest, said her husband tried to kidnap her and their 9-year-old daughter after the Tuesday night shooting, according to the 911 call and police reports. She said he was armed with a black handgun.
Her husband broke through the back window of Blevins' house while she was there and shot the man in front of her, Candace Latimer told dispatchers before Richard Latimer was shot and killed.
"My husband shot another man. My husband tried to kidnap me and my daughter, he had a gun, ma'am," she told dispatchers. "I saw him shoot him, and he made me and my daughter leave the house. He tried to get in the car with us and I locked the doors and I took off down the street and I came to where there were people because I don't have a phone, he took my phone."
Latimer put her and the girl into a car in the garage, she told disptachers.
"My car was parked in the garage, he took (Blevins') keys, opened the garage, told me and my daughter to get in, he said he was going to set the house on fire while me and my daughter waited for him. So I had my daughter in the car and I sped down the road," Candace Latimer told the dispatcher.
She drove to Taco Bell down the road in Austintown and borrowed a phone to call police, according to the call.
The bystanders at Taco Bell stayed with her until Austintown police arrived, eight minutes after she placed the call to 911.
For the next few hours, with Candace Latimer and her daughter in protective custody, officers tried to locate Latimer by pinging his phone and the phone Candace Latimer reported stolen, a 911 call for service summary states. A ping showed he was near the Giant Eagle, before the phone was turned off, according to the call summary.
Mineral Ridge High School, where boys were playing a basketball game against Western Reserve, was placed on lockdown as officers searched for the man.
One of Latimer's out-of-state relatives called 911 around 9:20 p.m. and reported they had been contacted by Latimer, according to the log.
He "basically stated (he was) gonna take his own life," the call summary states, followed by, "(unknown) if there will be a standoff."
Twenty minutes later, shots were reported at the Giant Eagle plaza on East Market Street. A woman who witnessed the shooting said she heard about six gunshots. She asked not to be identified.
Howland police officers shot a man who later died at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, according to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
A 9 mm handgun was found at the scene, according to BCI. It has not been determined if the gun was fired, according to BCI, which was called to assist after the officer-involved shooting.
Weathersfield police confirmed there is a connection between the two shootings.
"At this time, the suspect of the homicide in Weathersfield Township is believed to be the individual involved in the incident in Howland Township," a statement from police Chief Michael Naples states.
The two officers involved in the shooting were placed on paid administrative leave, in accordance with protocol, according to the Howland Township administrator. The identities of the officers involved have not been released.
At Wednesday's trustees meeting, Trustee Rick Clark said because of the shooting, they decided to postpone the swearing in of new assistant police chief Jeff Urso. Neither police Chief Nick Roberts nor Urso were at the meeting, but trustees would not say if either of them shot Latimer.
''We sympathize with the police department and all the police officers involved. We stand behind them 100 percent. They defended the residents of Howland Township and helped protect people who were at the plaza,'' Clark said.
Trustees praised police for their ''efficiency and professionalism'' in dealing with the situation.
rfox@tribtoday.com
Reporters David Dye and Bob Coupland contributed to this report.
Excerpts from 911 call
Excerpts from the 911 call made following a fatal shooting in Weathersfield
Dispatch: "911. What's your emergency?"
Caller: "Hello? My name is Candace Latimer. There's a warrant out for my husband Richard Latimer's arrest in Howland Township as of last night. I was at 3518 Main St. in Weathersfield, he shot a man with a gun, put me and my daughter in our car, and I ran. I'm at the Taco Bell on 46, sir. Please go to 3518 Main Street, he was there with a gun, he shot the man. Please, sir, help me, he's coming after me and my daughter."
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Caller: "My husband shot another man. My husband tried to kidnap me and my daughter, he had a gun, ma'am."
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Caller: "I saw him shoot him, and he made me and my daughter leave the house. He tried to get in the car with us and I locked the doors and I took off down the street and I came to where there were people because I don't have a phone, he took my phone."
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Dispatch: "What kind of gun was it?"
Caller: "I don't know, I don't know anything about guns, ma'am. I don't know."
Dispatch: "Was it a handgun? Was it a rifle? Was it a shotgun?"
Caller: "It was a handgun, he was holding it, it was black. That's all I saw."
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Dispatch: "Did you know who the man was that your husband shot?"
Caller: "Yes, his name was Van Blevins. Sir, I don't know if he (Latimer) was driving. All I know is he broke in through the back window of the house."