Son indicted following fatal shooting of Springfield man

A man was indicted in Clark County on murder charges after his Springfield father was fatally shot last week.

Benjamin Votaw, 41, of Fayetteville, N.C., was indicted on Monday in Clark County Common Pleas Court on counts of aggravated murder, murder and felonious assault in connection to the Nov. 6 death of Kevin Votaw, 64.

The younger Votaw faced similar charges last week in Clark County Municipal Court. As of Monday, he is listed as an inmate of Clark County Jail.

The shooting happened around 9 p.m. Sunday at 165 Willis Ave., according to a Springfield Police Division report. Willis Avenue is a street that runs north and south off East High Street.

A woman who identified herself as Kevin Votaw’s daughter told dispatchers that her brother had called her to say he shot their father after he “pulled a gun” on her brother’s girlfriend, according to the affidavit filed last week in Clark County Municipal Court.

A person living in the Willis Avenue area called 911 to report hearing several shots.

“I was just sitting on the couch, and it sounded like it was basically outside my house,” the caller said.

A neighbor of the elder Votaw also called dispatch to report the shooting, claiming to hear up to six shots ring out before inspecting the area. The caller was on the phone with dispatchers while looking into Kevin Votaw’s home, where the caller found him on the floor and bleeding, according to 911 call records.

“He doesn’t bother anybody,” the caller told dispatchers in a shaking breath. “But he’s breathing very faintly. He’s dying, please hurry.”

Benjamin Votaw was arrested early the following day after he surrendered to officers, according to court records.

The younger Votaw, a U.S. Army veteran, was visiting his father to introduce him to his girlfriend, the affidavit said.

The couple fled in a black car after Benjamin Votaw fired shots, according to the affidavit.

Police did not find a firearm “anywhere near” the father during their investigation at the Willis Avenue house, according to the affidavit.

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