Patrice Calvin:1973, Dayton, Ohio

  

   Patrice Lynnet Calvin was born in 1955. She attended Julienne High School in Dayton. 

  In 1973 she was 18 and lived at 426 Groveland Avenue in Dayton.  On Thursday July 12th, 1973, Patrice was in a tavern at 1726 West 5th Street. It was 4:30 in the morning. 

  Patrice was sitting on the juke box waiting for her boyfriend who was an employee of the tavern. It was closing time. Her boyfriend might have been helping to clean up, turning the chairs and barstool upside down on the tables. Maybe he was washing dishes, taking out the trash or mopping. 

   Patrice was waiting and sitting on the jukebox when she was shot in the head with a .38 caliber weapon. 

  This was first investigated and reported as a homicide. It was said to be the 60th homicide in Dayton that year. But, the man who shot her managed to convince the authorities that it was an accident.

  The first reports of her death said this: “Police said the victim was sitting on top of the jukebox waiting for her boyfriend, an employee, when the suspect came up to the victim and shot her in the head.” 

   The man who shot her said he was closing up and had a .38 caliber weapon with him that he always carried when he took the cash away at the end of the night for protection.  He said he bent over to turn off the jukebox as the plug was near the floor. He said he dropped the gun and it accidentally discharged and the bullet hit Patrice in the head. 

  If he was bending over and the gun discharged; what are the odds that it would hit her in the head? 

 There’s no report of an autopsy. There is no reporting about the trajectory of the bullet. There’s not a word about whether Patrice had powder burns on her face. There’s no reporting about any details that might incriminate this man. 

  No charges were filed against this man. He didn’t face murder charges or even manslaughter charges. We have no idea who he was. His name was not reported in the newspapers. 

  Patrice Calvin was a young black woman. We don’t know the race of the man who shot her and got away with it. We can probably guess that he was white. We can probably guess that Patrice’s boyfriend was a young black man. Who would the police listen to? The vast majority of police officers were white males then. 

  1726 West 5th Street is a vacant lot now. I was hoping the building was still there.  I was hoping investigators could go and look at the ceiling and walls and maybe determine the trajectory of the bullet. First they would have to open a homicide investigation. Sadly, that might never happen. There are so many cold cases also waiting for solutions. 

  Patrice’s funeral took place at the Bowman Funeral Chapel North at 3223 Hoover Avenue. Father Edward F. Conlan officiated. Patrice was buried at Calvary Cemetery. 

  Patrice was only 18. She should have had a long life. She and her boyfriend should have been allowed to be together and see where this romance was headed. Those of us who have been 18 and grown up know about many of the experiences that Patrice should have had. Traveling to new places, meeting new people, starting a job and learning and growing were all denied to Patrice. 

  

  Rest in Peace Patrice.