CANTON ‒ Investigators are shedding new light on the fatal shooting of 7-year-old Ka’Marion Dolch at a motel near Belden Village on June 21.
Detective Timothy Hostetler of the Stark County Sheriff’s Office said Monday during a hearing in Canton Municipal Court that the gun was accidentally fired when the victim’s father, William B. Dolch, tried to get it from a bedside table.
“It went off and hit the child,” Hostetler said. “The gun was then removed from the room and taken to various places to be hidden.”
Defense attorney Patrick Cusma asked Hostetler how he knew Dolch had the gun in his hand when it went off.
“That’s what he told me,” the detective said.
In response to a question from Kristina M. Lockwood, chief assistant district attorney in Canton, Hostetler said the gun was removed from the room at the Knights Inn to hinder the subsequent investigation.
Tragedy: Child, 7, dies after shooting at Stark County motel; father later arrested
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Hostetler said the story of the shooting, originally told by Dolch’s co-defendant Brittany A. Franko – who had also been in the motel room and called 911 – was that she and a child were folding blankets when they heard a loud noise, and Ka’Marion fell. to the ground. She said she looked back and saw a gun on the ground.
Hostetler said a phone seized as part of the investigation contained conversations between Dolch and Franko about how to cover up what happened in the room at the motel, located at 3950 Convenience Circle NW in Plain Township, just east of Whipple Avenue NW.
Allegation of tampering with evidence: Third person charged in case of fatal shooting of boy at Plain Township motel
The detective said that during his investigation he spoke with three adults and two children who had been in the motel room when the shooting occurred, as well as a neighbor in another unit.
What’s next for the suspects in the Ka’Marion Dolce shooting?
Magistrate Derek C. McClowry sent the case against Dolch, 37, to Stark County Common Pleas Court for consideration. He said there was sufficient evidence to believe the alleged misdemeanors or another felony offense had occurred and that Dolch had committed them.
Dolch is being held on $750,000 bail in Canton Municipal Court. He is charged with reckless homicide, tampering with evidence, child endangerment and having a weapon under disability.
Franko, 29, is scheduled to make her initial appearance in Canton Municipal Court on Tuesday, charged with aiding and abetting reckless homicide, child endangerment and obstructing official business.
A third suspect, Joseph E. King, 33, is charged with evidence tampering for allegedly tampering June 22 with the gun that shot Ka’Marion. His case has been referred to the court. He is being held in the Stark County Jail on $250,000 bail.
All three defendants are listed in the lawsuits as living at the Knights Inn.
Visitation for Ka’Marion, who lived in Cleveland, is scheduled for Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Cummings & Davis Funeral Home, 13201 Euclid Ave., East Cleveland. There will be a wake Saturday at 2:30 PM at the funeral home, followed by the funeral at 3:00 PM at the funeral home. The funeral will take place privately.
His mother Rickita Corbin has set up an online fundraiser on *spotfund to help pay for his funeral.
In her appeal, Corbin described her son as a smart boy who loved his brothers and enjoyed making TikTok videos with his siblings. She wrote that he was called home “due to a reckless act of gun violence.”
She described herself as a single mother of four who “tries to make everything happen for my boys.” She wrote that she would appreciate any help, including prayers, if a monetary donation is not possible.
Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter: @nmolnarTR.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Vader accidentally shot Ka’Marion Dolce while moving a gun at the Stark motel
