Kevin Votaw, 64, of Springfield, was killed in a shooting, the Clark County Coroner’s Office confirmed Monday.
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 Monday in Clark County Municipal Court.
Benjamin Votaw was arrested early Monday 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. They fled after the shooting in a black car after Benjamin Votaw fired shots, according to the affidavit.
A car recovered in the 2900 block of Selma Pike was connected to the shooting, a police official said.
The elder Votaw was found dead in his living room with an “unknown amount of gunshot wounds,” according to the police incident report.
Police did not find a firearm “anywhere near” the father during their investigation at the Willis Avenue house, according to the affidavit.
Bejamin Votaw told police in an interview at the Springfield headquarters that he was in fear for his girlfriend’s life and acted “using force proportionate for what [he] needed to do,” according to the affidavit.
Benjamin Votaw’s girlfriend denied a police interview.
A large number of Springfield police officers responded to the deadly shooting on Willis Avenue and the small street was closed during the investigation.
Video posted to social media and from a neighboring house showed 10 police cruisers on the street along with fire and EMS units.
A neighbor said he heard three shots fired, and a car fled the scene after.
Kevin Votaw was retired from Navistar, according to his Facebook page. More than a dozen friends had posted messages about him by Monday afternoon after news of his death circulated.
Benjamin Votaw remains held in the Clark County Jail.
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