lit a candle 14h agoI only saw this because my cousin shares the local Ohio news feed, I wasn't even looking for it, I was out back checking on my tomatoes when my phone buzzed and there was his name, and the line about him loving the keyboard and being able to play any sport stuck with me, how somebody can be good at so many things and still just be quietly fixing shoes and helping folks move boxes on a regular Tuesday. fifty one years old. I keep thinking about the grandkids, Aalycia and Asaiah, probably had no idea what was coming that night. I never met any of this family, don't know them at all, but something about a man who could make a whole room laugh and then sit down and play music gets me, my own dad was like that, fix anything and crack a joke in the same breath. anyway. hope Barb and the kids are doing okay. (editing to add, read it again, he wasn't even the one they were shooting at, which somehow makes it worse)
Their story
Richard Alan Poole was a 51-year-old Canton, Ohio man known to family and friends as a natural comedian, an all-around athlete and a self-employed handyman who was known for helping neighbors move, clean shoes and shine jewelry. He was not a public figure in the conventional sense: he did not…
Richard Alan Poole was a 51-year-old Canton, Ohio man known to family and friends as a natural comedian, an all-around athlete and a self-employed handyman who was known for helping neighbors move, clean shoes and shine jewelry. He was not a public figure in the conventional sense: he did not hold elected office, run a company, or appear in the media before his death. He became a name in national news only because of the violent circumstances of his killing, which drew attention from local Ohio outlets and wire services and which, by late 2026, had produced a criminal conviction against one of the two men charged in connection with his death.
Poole was born on May 29, 1974, and lived in Canton, the Stark County seat in northeastern Ohio. According to the obituary published by Rhoden Memorial Home, he was remembered by his family as someone who could play any sport, loved music and playing the keyboard, and was known for his humor and willingness to help others.
Poole was shot on the night of Sunday, May 24, 2026, at the Skyline Terrace apartment complex on Alan Page Drive SE in Canton. Police said he was found inside an apartment with a gunshot wound to the chest after officers responded to multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire at around 9 p.m. He was given first aid at the scene and taken to Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital, where he died a short time after arrival.
Canton police said their investigation showed Poole was killed when two other men exchanged gunfire with each other and he was struck in the crossfire. Two suspects were eventually charged with murder: Daquan B.J. Rucker, then 30, of Akron, who was arrested within a day of the shooting, and Larry G. Grimes, 45, of Canton, who was taken into custody roughly a month later. Rucker's charge was later reduced, and in late October 2026 he was convicted by a Stark County jury of the lesser offense of reckless homicide, along with having weapons under disability and tampering with evidence. He was scheduled to be sentenced on November 9, 2026. As of this writing, the case against Grimes had not yet concluded.
Poole's death was one of several homicides in Canton in 2026 and was reported by local television stations and the Canton Repository as the case developed from an initial manhunt through to trial. His family held a visitation and celebration of life at Rhoden Memorial Home in Canton on June 6, 2026.
Biography adapted from News reports and the sources cited on this page; death reported by Hoodline.
