Dalvin Hollins
Birth date:
August 20, 1996
Death date:
July 27, 2016
Age at Death:
19
About
Dalvin Hollins was born in Tempe City, Maricopa County, Arizona to Calvin Hollins and Sarah Coleman on August 20, 1996. Dalvin had a brother named Delvin and was very close to his mother Sarah (she considered him her "right-hand man"). Dalvin never had the chance to marry or have children, and it is unknown if he held a job. Sarah said that her son had mental health issues but was getting help from a counselor. Dalvin was a very good person but was going through some struggles in his life at the time of his death. Dalvin's mother said that as soon as she entered the place where her son had died, she felt an overwhelming sense of loss and devastation. Sarah is grieving the loss of her child and has attempted to find solace in her faith through the Bible and church. Sarah's days are very hard knowing that her beloved son Dalvin will never come home to her, Calvin, and Delvin. Dalvin was a great companion to his family, especially Sarah, and will be dearly missed by his community.
On July 27, 2016, around 9:25 a.m. Dalvin Hollins was approached by Tempe City Police Officers as a potential suspect in a robbery of a Walgreens in Tempe City, Arizona that had occurred earlier in the morning at approximately 9:05 a.m. After observing Dalvin, a police officer approached to question him near a Jack in the Box restaurant. Dalvin started to walk away from the officer while another officer drove his vehicle into the parking lot from another direction. This officer's vehicle was using full lights and sirens at the time. Dalvin ignored the requests of Tempe Police officers to stop and submit to questions but instead began to run away from the officers northbound through the parking lot. The first officer dropped his radio and broke off the foot pursuit but the officer in the car continued to pursue the suspect alone, first in his vehicle and then later on foot. While still in his vehicle, the officer saw Dalvin go into the Westchester Senior Living Center. The officer drove into the south driveway of the property, exited his vehicle, and began to give chase on foot. Dalvin continued to flee from the officers, eventually entering a parking area between the Care Center Building and Westchester Building #2 which contained some of the residential areas of the complex. While in that parking lot just north of Westchester building #2, the pursuing officer got to a position where he could see Dalvin fleeing and yelled, "Stop or I'm gonna shoot you!" The officer then proceeded to shoot Dalvin in the back. The officer reported that he believed Dalvin flinched a little but continued to run away. Dalvin then fled into a maintenance room where he hid in a closet and eventually bled to death from his wounds. Witnesses state that Dalvin called for help and that nurses from the senior center tried to give medical assistance but were stopped by Tempe Police officers. At approximately 10:19 a.m., approximately 50 minutes after Dalvin entered the maintenance room, SWAT Officers of Tempe City entered the maintenance room after Dalvin failed to respond to commands and he was found deceased. No weapon was ever observed on Dalvin and no weapon was ever found anywhere at the scene of the pursuit. The officer that killed Dalvin never turned his body camera on until after he shot Dalvin.
Was justice served?
In April, the Maricopa County Attorney declined to press charges against the offending officer. A Tempe police spokesperson said that the officer was currently on leave until he recovers from injuries he sustained during the shooting. As of February 2021, justice has not been served for Dalvin Hollins. This incident has led to an update in the Tempe Police Department's body camera policy by requiring officers to immediately activate their body worn cameras when responding to an emergency type call as opposed to when they arrive at an emergency call.