Police say three teenagers have been arrested in the shooting death of 37-year-old Joshua Fuller.
DAYTON, OH — A 37-year-old father was shot and killed Sunday outside a North Main Street convenience store as his teenage son watched, according to his wife and police reports from the homicide investigation.
Joshua Fuller died after the shooting outside Main Mart, 2423 North Main St., a busy corner store just outside the North Riverdale neighborhood. Police have said they believe four teenagers were involved, and court records reviewed by local news outlets show three had been arrested by Thursday. All three face murder charges as Dayton officials continue to press a broader effort to reduce gun violence across the city.
Fuller’s wife, Crista Sawvell, said the day had started with a simple family plan. She said Fuller and their youngest son left the house while she got ready because the family planned to take the boy to a skate park. “I sent them to the store while I was getting dressed,” Sawvell said. Less than five minutes later, she said, her son called and told her that his father had been shot. Sawvell said the boy told her Fuller had him walk in front as they came out of the store because someone was standing on each side of the door. The boy heard a shot, his ears began ringing, and when he turned around, Fuller was on the ground, Sawvell said.
The first report of the shooting came at 2:02 p.m. Sunday, according to Montgomery County Regional Dispatch information reported from the scene. Officers and medics were sent to the Main Mart parking lot after callers reported a man had been shot in the chest and was not moving. A 911 caller told dispatchers that a man had been shot in the parking lot and that the shooters were gone. The caller described them as young men or kids. Dayton police Sgt. Creigee S. Coleman said officers and medics found a man on the ground with a gunshot wound to the upper torso. Medics took Fuller to Grandview Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office later identified him as Joshua Fuller.
Police have treated the case as a homicide from the start. Investigators said Fuller was leaving the store when a suspect pointed a gun at him and pulled the trigger without saying a word. Police first said they were looking for three possible suspects, then later said they were searching for four people believed to be tied to the shooting. During a separate investigation on Russet Avenue, officers found two juvenile suspects they believed were connected to violent crimes. Police said they arrested a 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy. Investigators later identified another 17-year-old as the person accused of firing the shot at Main Mart. By Wednesday, police had confirmed a third suspect had been arrested. A fourth person remained part of the investigation, according to the latest public details available.
The shooting drew new attention to violence around North Main Street and nearby neighborhoods. Dayton Mayor Shenise Turner-Sloss addressed gun violence days after Fuller’s death while holding her fourth Mayor’s Walk in the Westwood neighborhood. The walk was part of an ongoing effort by city leaders to meet residents where they live and hear concerns about safety. The shooting happened near the edge of the North Riverdale area, where Dayton’s Violence Interruption pilot program has been operating. Shae Franklin, who has helped organize LaLa’s on Main across the street from the shooting scene, said the work is aimed at keeping young people busy and away from street violence. Franklin said she heard from police that young people had tried to rob someone who had pulled into the store.
The court process began moving quickly after the arrests. In a Thursday hearing, Judge Helen Wallace said police believe a 17-year-old fired the shots that killed Fuller. Wallace said the teen was charged with four counts of murder, aggravated robbery and two counts of felonious assault. Prosecutors told the judge the teen should not be released while the case moves forward. Sawvell said she agreed and said she believes those charged should be tried as adults. The names of the juvenile suspects have not been made public in the available reports. It also was not immediately clear whether prosecutors would seek to move any of the cases from juvenile court to adult court.
Sawvell described Fuller as a husband and father who should have come home from a short errand. She said she and Fuller had two sons, and that the family was preparing for an ordinary Sunday outing before the shooting. “He didn’t deserve it whatsoever,” she said. “I don’t understand. He should be here.” Her account added a personal account to a case that police first described through dispatch calls, crime scene response and court filings. The killing also left investigators piecing together what happened in a public parking lot in the middle of the afternoon, with officers asking for surveillance, phone or dashcam footage that could help show the moments before and after the gunfire.
As of Friday, Dayton police had reported three arrests in Fuller’s death and continued to investigate the shooting as a homicide. The next major steps are expected in juvenile court as prosecutors pursue the murder, aggravated robbery and felonious assault charges tied to the June 14 shooting.
Author note: Last updated June 20, 2026.