Final Suspect Caught

3rd Suspect Arrested In Comic Book Store Shooting
January 20, 2009

KENT COUNTY - Officials in Kent County say the third suspect wanted in a comic book store shooting last April has been apprehended in Illinois.

On April 25th, three suspects went into the Apparitions Comic Book Store near 28th Street to rob it. Javon Sawyer, then 18, brought a gun with him. A struggle ensued, and the store owner was shot in the chest, leaving him in critical condition. He's since recovered from the injuries.

Sawyer had been on the run since. Officials in Kent County say he was arrested this morning in Joliet, Illinois. They say the FBI task force out of Chicago located him.

A short time after the shooting, the two men with Sawyer were arrested. Police took James Thompson and Marvin Jones into custody after a traffic stop in Kentwood in the early morning hours the day after the shooting.

Thompson plead guilty to Armed Robbery, and was sentenced to 7 years in prison.

Marvin Jones is awaiting trial.

We'll continue to follow this story, and bring you any updates once they become available.

Fox 17 WXMI

Almost Normal

Dave is back working at the comic store almost every day now. He really is doing great. There are still some lingering issues that Dave has to deal with, but he is almost back to normal. Same great Dave. :) You can stop by the store and say hi if you would like. Thom is there now with Dave most days to help out now. He's fun to talk to as well. Don't let the mustache intimidate you.

We all appreciate the interest that the comic community has had in Dave's recovery. Now that he is almost better, I can't promise regular updates, because there isn't much left to tell. Anything interesting I will defiantly share.

Auctions Up!

Ifanboy has put up a link for the ebay actions for the stuff that was donated to Dave to help him with all the financial repercussions from the shooting and attempted robbery.

http://www.ifanboy.com/content/articles/David_Pirkola_Charity_Auction

Please go and bid on all the cool stuff that has been very generously donated to this great cause.

Good Stuff

Dave is home making steady progress in good directions. It's been an adjustment for everyone, but a good adjustment. He is enjoying being out of the hospital and living life. Dave is making short visits to the comic book store a few times a week now, so next time you drop by the store you may get to see him yourself and see how good he is looking. It's pretty random when he drops by so you'll just have to drop in and see if he is there. :)

Super Great

Dave is doing super great. :) He is up and moving around and doing almost anything that he wants, just slowly. Everytime we go and visit we are pleasantly surprised at how quickly he is advancing in his recovery. Rumor has it that he will be leaving the care center and moving back home. He is really excited just to get the heck out of that place and get home. He is not all healed and back to normal yet, but he has made huge steps in that direction, and is getting much, much closer. There is a lot that he wants to do and he is really focused on getting to where he wants to be.

FBI Called In to Help

FBI asked to track down comic book store suspect


KENTWOOD, Mich. (WOOD) - The FBI has been asked by the Kentwood Police Department to help find Jevon Marquis Sawyer, a suspect in the shooting of a comic book store owner April 25.

Authorities believe Sawyer is in a Chicago suburb staying with relatives. Both the Kentwood PD and the Kent County prosecutors office asked the FBI to help capture Sawyer and extradite him back to Michigan. They also want help getting a federal warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

The store owner, David Pirkola, was critically wounded in the attack. He has since been released from the hospital.

24 Hour News 8 will continue to follow this story.

Update 5/26

For those who haven't heard Dave is out of the ICU and they have moved him to a Acute Care Facility. He is doing much better, all things considered. He still has a long recovery ahead of him with lots of physical rehabilitation. He is not up for visitors at this point, though we will let you know when he is. He gets tired easily, but is gaining a little more strength every day. The family still requests that limited information is released to the public, though they understand people want to know how he is doing. Keep the good wishes coming.