Attempted robbery suspect found dead
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, January 6, 2010
A man suspected of attempting to rob a Troy residence Monday night was found dead early Tuesday.
Joseph Earl Dixon, 33, of Troy, was found dead on Walters Drive around 8:18 a.m. Tuesday from what appeared to be several shot wounds, said Troy Police Captain Jimmy Ennis.
Dixon was suspected to have been the attempted robber of a home on Giddens Street Monday night.
“The victim heard someone knock on his door, and he knew the individual,” Ennis said. “He let him in and when he let him in, he demanded he give him money.”
Ennis said it is reported the victim was then struck at least two times in the head with a hammer by Dixon.
The victim then pulled out a handgun and fired several shots at the suspect.
“He did hit the suspect, and the suspect left Giddens Street running.
Police were unable to locate Dixon Monday, but he was found by a resident on Walters Street yesterday morning.
Dixon’s body has been turned over to the Department of Forensic Science for further investigation.
The victim in the attempted robbery was transported to Troy Regional Medical Center following the incident, and he has been treated and released.
Ennis said no charges have been filed at this time related to Dixon’s death, but the case remains under investigation by the Troy Police Department, Pike County District Attorneys Office and the Pike County Coroners Office.
In an unrelated incident, two suspects have been identified after a robbery took place earlier this same night.
Jeremy Jermaine Swanson, 17, of Troy, has been arrested and Roderick Rashad Gibens, 18, of Troy, is sought in connection with a robbery that occurred on Dean Street around 8:30 p.m. Monday, a little less than an hour before the other incident was reported.
“Two black males knocked on the victim’s door, and when he answered, they demanded his money at gunpoint,” Ennis said.
Officers located Swanson near the scene Monday night, and arrested him Tuesday morning. He was taken to the Pike County Jail on charges of robbery first degree, where his bond is set at $50,000.
Gibens faces the same charges.