NewsLocal NewsAkron Canton News

Actions

$2 million bond set for man accused of gunning down waitress at Bob Evans in Canton

Screen Shot 2021-04-20 at 10.13.22 AM.png
Posted at 11:38 AM, Apr 20, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-20 11:38:17-04

STARK COUNTY, Ohio — A previously set $2 million bond has been continued for a Canton man who allegedly gunned down a waitress in a Bob Evans restaurant in Canton on Friday.

Appearing via video for his arraignment, Richard James Nelson, 54, of Canton, pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder.

Nelson is accused of fatally shooting Rebecca Jean Rogers, 38, of Canton, who was working inside the restaurant on Friday when police said Nelson came in and shot her.

At the time of the shooting, police estimate there were between six to eight employees and approximately six to eight customers inside the restaurant.

After the shooting, Nelson remained at large until later that day when he was arrested in a wooded area in East Canton.

Canton police chief Jack Angelo said the shooting is considered a "domestic incident" between a girlfriend and a boyfriend.

"It's a horrible tragedy what happened. It could have been far worse. We were expecting to see when we got here multiple people wounded," Angelo said Friday. "Domestics are just very, very touchy and very dangerous and as you can see here. This turned into a tragedy."

Nelson is scheduled to appear in court for his preliminary hearing on April 22 at 10:30 a.m.

RELATED: Gunman arrested after fatally shooting waitress during 'domestic incident' inside Bob Evans in Canton

wnload the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.

You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.