More details have been released about Wednesday’s murder-suicide at the St. Joseph Rehabilitation Institute on Elm Road in Mishawaka.
48-year-old Michael A. Jarvis was identified as the man that shot and killed Dr. Todd Graham in the parking lot.
St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter says the shooting happened because of a disagreement over prescription drugs for his wife. Cotter says Dr. Graham denied his wife opioid medications, which caused Jarvis to snap and get into a heated argument with Dr. Graham.
A few hours later, at about 1 p.m., Jarvis encountered Dr. Graham once again outside the orthopedic building. Another argument ensued before Dr. Graham drove next door. Cotters says Jarvis followed, ordered two witnesses to leave, and then shot Graham twice in the head.
After the shooting, Jarvis took off and went to a friend’s house near Marian High School. Cotter says he told his friend and made some concerning statements. The friend called police, but before officers arrived, Jarvis shot himself at the residence. He was found with two gunshot wounds.
“This was a person who made a choice to kill Dr. Graham. This is not fallout from any opioid epidemic or opioid problems. This was a person who made that choice. That probably leads us to an examination of what’s happening with the opioid problem in our community and our whole nation. I know our Indiana State Medical Association is working very strongly on trying to address that problem. But today we’re talking about a man who made a choice to kill another person. We’re not talking about the opioid problem. That’s certainly something we need to address. Was that a contributing factor in his decision? We don’t know that yet. We have our own suppositions but I don’t want to talk about something I don’t know for sure. I do know for sure that Jarvis made that choice to kill Dr. Graham and that’s why we’re here today,” said Prosecutor Cotter.
5 comments
Doctors can be worse than drug dealers on the street and I’ve heard threats from drug users at my pain dr but this wasn’t an issue concerning pain meds although I do think laymens are overwhelmed with pain issues from foot back and neck problems that professionals dont understand. Ive had my body ripped apart with screws and dead persons body parts then sent home too quickly to heal and found it exhausting to get help with pain probably because of heroine addicts. I’m ferious because I cannot walk normally again and seeking out legal counsel again the lying doctors. There’s too much evil in the world to say that the doctors who drive a Mercedes home to sleep peacefully after his lamb dinner really care about us.
Yeah you suck at helping people who put together those Mercedes for you to drive all so they can provide adequate meals for their families after major surgery that made it worse… Though I don’t believe in doctors or murders…. A Christian scientist can really get messed up by doctors”trying” to help but screw you for life
Life is pain, it will stop hurting when you die. Deal with it. Being born in America doesn’t give you a right to immortality or freedom from reality.
You certainly don’t have the right to end other peoples lives because you’ve been inconvenienced. Your rights end where mine begin and vice versa.
If you want your health care to get worse just give more of it to the government to ‘manage’.
The first obvious motivation for this attack was an attempt to procure opioid drugs- how can you not say that it is opioid-related? What else (except mental illness) would motivate a man to do this?
To be a doctor and not listen to your patience of is there any alternatives g-doc don’t you think you should like try to wean me off before you do this and then you have such terrible language towards the situation like Jarvis is the only person at fault here…… Why as a doctor you keep giving patience opioids for pain medication and then all the sudden cut them off and expect absolutely zero problems. My heart goes out to the patiences that he screwed