Springfield man shot dead in home

A man was shot and killed Thursday morning in Springfield during a possible home invasion.

Residents at a home in the 400 block of West Southern Avenue called 9-1-1 twice early Thursday morning — the second time about 5 a.m. to report that an unknown suspect had kicked in the door and was inside the house.

Springfield Police officers responded and found Anthony Tolliver, 39, partially in a bed and shot, according to a police report.

“Mr. Tolliver appeared unconscious and unresponsive and had suffered at least one gunshot wound,” the report says.

Medics responded to treat him but declared him already dead.

People at the home said they didn’t see the attacker or how they left the house, according to the report, and no arrests have been made.

The killing took place just two hours after authorities were called to the same home. Witnesses then said gunshots were fired at the house. The residents said at that time they didn’t know why the house would be a target or who was doing the shooting, according to a police report.

Springfield police released the 911 phone call Friday made by a woman in the home during the alleged invasion.

In the recordings, a woman can be heard whispering and telling a dispatcher she’s hiding in her shower and that people are in her home.

“They broke through the back door,” she says.

The dispatcher tells her to say hidden and remain quiet until officers get there.

Acting Springfield Police Division Chief Brad Moos said the case is still under investigation.

“We responded and found the back door had been forced open and we found someone shot inside,” he said.

He said investigators don’t know how many times Tolliver was shot and are awaiting the results of an autopsy.

Tolliver’s death is the sixth homicide in Springfield this year.

Neighbors on West Southern Avenue told the Springfield News-Sun that they were scared because no arrests have been made in the case and it’s the second fatal shooting in the area in about two months.

The first fatal shooting in the area took place on a sidewalk in front of a home in the 500 block of West Southern Avenue.

Police identified James White Jr., 25 as the man shot. A 911 call from that incident revealed White Jr. was standing on a sidewalk at about 2 p.m. on May 18 and was shot dead.

His sister called police after the shooting and tried to perform CPR to save his life. He was pronounced dead at Springfield Regional medical Center while he was being prepared to be transported to a Dayton hospital.

No arrests have been made in that case either.