Kirk D. Perine, a 59-year-old resident of Lima, Ohio, tragically lost his life on February 15, 2023. Born on July 25, 1963, to James and Eleanor {Lowery} Perine, Kirk's life came to an abrupt end due to a shooting incident that occurred on that fateful Wednesday evening.
The circumstances surrounding Perine's death involved a series of events that unfolded in Lima.
On the evening of February 15, 2023, the Lima Police Department responded to reports of gunfire near Felt Chiropractic on Allentown Road. Witnesses at the scene described a Black man dressed in red who had fired a weapon towards employees in the chiropractic office's parking lot before fleeing eastward through an adjacent alley.
According to witness accounts, the suspect later encountered Perine and entered a vehicle with him. The situation escalated when the suspect, later identified as Michael Oliphant, exited the car—which was parked in the middle of North Rosedale Avenue—and discharged a round through the vehicle's windshield. When authorities arrived at the scene, they discovered Kirk Perine inside the vehicle, suffering from a single gunshot wound to the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
In the aftermath of the incident, law enforcement swiftly took action. Michael Oliphant, a 21-year-old Lima resident, was arrested in connection with Perine's death. Oliphant was subsequently charged with murder and multiple counts of felonious assault, all accompanied by three-year firearm specifications.
The legal proceedings following Perine's death have been ongoing. In April 2023, a grand jury returned a murder charge against Oliphant, and a written plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf. In July 2023, Oliphant was deemed competent to stand trial for the murder charges.
As of December 2024, the case continues to develop. A jury trial for Michael Oliphant is now scheduled to begin on April 7, 2025, in the Allen County Common Pleas Court. The trial had been delayed for several months as Oliphant's legal team awaited a report from an expert consultant appointed by the public defender's office to assess Oliphant's mental condition at the time of the incident.
The tragic death of Kirk Perine has left a lasting impact on the Lima community, as the legal process moves forward in seeking justice for his untimely passing.
