The Marion County Sheriff’s Office has released updated information on the shooting that took place on Sunday, November 25, after deputies say a man refused to put down a gun which he then pointed at deputies. Investigators say the gun turned out to be a CO2 pellet gun and that the man had earlier made suicidal comments.
The incident began at about 8:30pm when the man and his girlfriend began arguing at a mobile home at Lot 31 in Pleasant Acres on Smeltzer Road.
When the argument became more heated, the woman and several neighbors called authorities. The woman told dispatchers that her boyfriend, 40-year-old Byron Holveck, had fired a gun and threatened to kill her and her young daughter.
At 10:14pm, Major Aaron Corwin, the Sheriff’s Office Operations Supervisor, and Deputy Michael Wheeler responded to the scene and said they found Holveck in the front yard. The deputies reported they ordered Holveck to drop the gun, but he abruptly turned towards the deputies and began charging them while raising his hand with the weapon.
It was at that point that deputies said they fired their weapons, striking Holveck in the lower body. He was taken to Marion General Hospital and then flown to Grant Medical Center, where he later died.
Investigation has revealed that the man’s gun was a not a conventional firearm, but was in fact a Gamo CO2 pellet gun that shoots soft, rubber pellets. Officials say the gun has a very close resemblance to a Walther PPK semi-auto handgun.
Investigators say they also learned that Holveck had stated earlier in the day that he was going to commit suicide by cop. That involves making a threatening, deadly gesture toward officers forcing them to respond with deadly force. Officials say this information only came to light following the incident.
Until the autopsy is completed, there is no way to determine which deputy may have fired the rounds that killed Holveck.
Because the shooting involved a sheriff’s deputy, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is handling the continuing investigation.
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