Springfield homicide concerns neighbors

UPDATED @ 1:45 p.m. Tuesday:

Springfield police continue to investigate what led to the death of a man Monday afternoon.

Mark Wells, 43, of Springfield, was found dead in an alley off of West Pleasant Street just after 2 p.m. Monday.

Family members of Wells declined to comment on his death, but they told the Springfield News-Sun he was a “family man” with seven children and had “just turned his life around.”

Two Springfield Police Division incident reports detail the events leading up to Wells’ death.

A woman called 9-1-1 Monday after her dogs barking alerted her to two men in her backyard. One man was bloodied and said he had been hit in the face during a robbery, according to the police report.

The second man, Wells, was found lying dead nearby, according to the report. It appears he had a wound to his chest, the report says.

Neighbors around the area where Wells was found said they have been concerned with crime in recent years.

Carla Wilson lives across the street from the alley and has lived in her home for more than 20 years.

“It has gone down the drain, the neighborhood is not what is used to be when we moved in — and we’re seriously considering about pulling up and moving,” Wilson said.

It’s a shame someone had to die, she added, but hopes police find whoever committed the crime.

“Everybody has to pay for what you do — and one way or the other, not the police — it’s when you finally go to rest, got to answer to somebody,” she said.

Springfield police haven’t released any information on a possible suspect or motive for the death.

Detectives were seen out in the West Pleasant Street neighborhood Tuesday morning continuing their investigation in to the death.

UPDATED @ 9:43 p.m.

The victim in the homicide has been identified as Mark Wells, 43, from Springfield, according to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.

It is still unknown what injuries Wells suffered and whether anyone involved in his death has been identified.

An investigator with the coroner’s office says an autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow.

UPDATED @ 8:20 p.m.

A body found in an alley near West Pleasant and Amelia streets has prompted the Springfield police to open a homicide investigation.

Just before 2 p.m. Monday, Springfield police received 9-1-1 calls reporting a robbery with two victims in the 1500 block of West Pleasant Street.

This is the second homicide investigation in the city this year.

The caller said two men were injured, according to the 9-1-1 calls. One was reportedly struck in the face and a second was not breathing.

Police blocked off the alley with crime scene tape leading up to the scene where a body was covered by a white sheet.

Several officers, detectives and Springfield Police Chief Stephen Moody responded to the scene.

“One person was deceased at the scene, and detectives are investigating it as a homicide,” Moody said.

Police have not released the name of the deceased victim, the kinds of injuries suffered or whether any persons of interest have been detained.

In January Danyale Piersoll, 37, of Springfield was shot and killed inside a home on East Southern Avenue.

>>>MORE INFO: Springfield teen gets 11 years in prison in shooting death

Deondre Wilgus, 18, of Springfield, pleaded guilty in the case in April and was sentenced to spend 11 years in prison, according to court records.

Last week Charles Brown, of Springfield, was arrested on charges of attempted murder and felonious assault after police said he shot another man in the face on Isabella Street.

Brown pleaded not guilty and is in the Clark County Jail on a $75,000 bond, according to court records.

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FIRST REPORT

Police in Springfield are investigating a death in an alley near West Pleasant and Amelia streets.

Just before 2 p.m. Springfield police received 9-1-1 calls reporting a robbery with two victims in the 1500 block of West Pleasant Street.

One victim was reportedly struck in the face and a second was not breathing.

Several police detectives are now at the scene. Crime scene tape surrounds the area. A body appears covered by a white sheet.

We have a reporter at the scene and will update the story when more information is available.