Springfield man indicted in shooting death near funeral home

He is charged with killing Richard A. Howard, 45, in an incident on the city’s north side.

The incident was reported about 1:30 p.m. Feb. 6 after Howard was found dead inside a vehicle in the 800 block of Mason Street with a gunshot wound to the head.

Howard was in a white Chevrolet Tahoe directly behind Littleton & Rue Funeral Home, according to the Springfield Police Division.

Springfield Police Division Sgt. James Byron said last week the shooting is believed to be related to a dispute between the two men over the ownership of the vehicle. He declined to share to whom the vehicle is registered.

A 911 caller told a dispatcher she was walking across the street to the funeral home, where she works, when she happened to glance inside the vehicle parked by the sidewalk. She said she saw the man slumped over the center console, and he didn’t appear to be breathing.

“There is somebody who is slumped over, and I see a bunch of blood on the car,” the caller said. “He looks like he’s been shot in the head.”

The caller said she did not hear anything prior to seeing the man and “just happened” to look in the car.

According to an incident report, surveillance footage showed a vehicle that was later found at the Fairfax Motel. A caller told dispatch Tuesday night that Howard had been “having problems” with Crowley.

In the car at the motel, police found identification for Crowley, and he was found to match the description of the suspect in the video footage. He was staying at the motel.

“After being advised of his Miranda warning, Douglas admitted to being at the scene and pointing a firearm in the vehicle and firing one round at the victim,” the incident report states.