Prosecutor: Man killed doctor after opioid prescription disagreement
Dr. Todd Graham was killed after an opioid disagreement with the husband of one of his patients, according to St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter.
Dr. Todd Graham
On Thursday afternoon, the gunman was identified as 48-year-old Michael Jarvis.
Jarvis’s wife was Graham’s patient, according Cotter.
During an appointment Wednesday morning, Graham indicated to her that he was not going to prescribe any opioid medication.
Jarvis became upset and argued with the doctor. Authorities say his wife didn’t have a previous prescription for opioids.
They left, but Jarvis later came back and confronted Graham.
After telling two witnesses to leave, Jarvis shot and killed Graham.
“This was a very targeted attack,” said Commander Tim Corbett of Saint Joseph County Metro Homicide. “I am a firm believer — and I think Ken feels the same way — that if Jarvis would have got inside that building, although there wouldn’t have been any specific target, it’s like trapping an animal in a corner: they’re going to come out fighting. I truly believe this could have escalated into a mass shooting. I do believe that.”
Jarvis then drove to a friend’s home and indicated “that he was no longer going to be around,” according to Cotter. The friend contacted police out of concern for Jarvis’s safety. Before law enforcement arrived, Jarvis took his own life.
“Make no mistake, this was a person who made a choice to kill Dr. Graham. This is not a fallout from any opioid epidemic or any opioid problems. This is a person who made that choice,” Cotter explained. “That probably leads us into an examination of what is happening with the opioid problem in our community, and frankly in our whole nation.”
Cotter says Jarvis’s wife wasn’t aware of her husband’s actions.
“It was clear that she didn’t know what he was doing. She’s suffering as well,” he explained.
Filed under: General Problems
I agree that, more than likely, we will see more of this type action. Basically, the “powers that be” are telling the chronic pain patients that they simply do not care how much pain they are in. They just keep going down the same road that has not worked and it does not look like there is going to be any change. There are MORE chronic pain patients than addicts but we are not organized and I do not know how to get us there. It looks like both political parties are going down the same road. I thought Trump was smarter than this but look who he put in charge–Christie. The only thing I can see is if the ACLU would get involved. I guess enough chronic pain patients suicides must happen. Maybe the VETS can get attention. Please forward Robert Rose’s posts to Facebook. He is with the “Vets Fight Back” organization and is trying to let everybody know how the chronic pain Vets have been hurt due to the phony opioid epidemic.
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN U FORCE PHYSICAL PAIN ONTO ANOTHER HUMAN BEING,,,,,WHEN ANYONE IS IN PHYSICAL PAIN,,,AND YOU AS A DOCTOR,,,HAVE THE MEANS TO HELP THEM BY GIVING THEM ,,,,MEDICINE,,,,TO STOP THAT PHYSICAL PAIN,,,,,NO-ONE WANTS TO LIVE ANOTHER DAY IN FORCED PHYSICAL PAIN!!!!!!get it thru your heads!!!!!,,,,if u as a doctor,,,want to not adhere to your oath,,,,do no harm,,,by forcing physical pain onto another human,,,,that human is not going to GIVE A DAM ABOUT U EITHER!!!!!!!again,,jmo,,,,if Klondike bar did not make up this huge lie about opiates,,,,this doctor would of given this person their NEEDED medicine,,,,,When u as doctors choose to deny access to medicine that is needed,,,, to help people,,,in tru physical [pain,,,which is treatable condition,,,,,some,,,will take matters into their own hands….
was this guy wrong shooting this Doc,,,,yes,,,but soooo was the doctor wrong,,,by denying them access to a MEDICINE that was obviously needed,,,,,,,,more of this is gonna happen Doc;s,,,THANKS TO KLONODYN ENEPTNESS WHEN IT COME TO MEDICAL CONDITIONS!!!!,
I’m not advocating for this, however, more of this will happen! Without other forms of pain relief that aren’t some made up delusion in some hacks “mindfulness”. Trying to uninvent opioids for pain relief that anybody can see was the Government trying to stop an illicit drug problem by taking prescription medications from people in pain is inhumane, fraud and I think malpractice as well! Do no harm goes both ways here! This is what happens when those other than your doctor and you in what is really patient centered care, make rules on how much pain another human being must live in for there own good and the doctors liability! Can any of these people grasp the concept of “Harm Reduction”?