The teen fired at least one other round from the stolen handgun.
MIDLAND, MI — A Midland teenager who opened fire on police with a stolen gun was not killed by an officer’s return fire. Rather, he committed suicide.
Results from an autopsy performed on the remains of 16-year-old Jaden Marsh indicate he shot himself in the head alongside Midland’s East Ashman Street in the early morning of March 12. He had also suffered a gunshot wound to one of his legs, according to Michigan State Police Special 1 st Lt. David Kaiser.
Investigators also determined Jaden had fired at least one additional bullet from the stolen handgun he wielded, police having recovered it from the ground. Kaiser could not yet divulge how many rounds a Midland police officer fired.
Two Midland police officers at 1:39 a.m. on March 12 responded to a 911 call of two young males trying to break into a parked vehicle in the 2000 block of East Ashman Street. The officers spotted the youths, one of whom was Jaden. As one officer spoke with the compliant teen, Jaden took off running, pursued by the second officer.
Teen killed after shooting at police suffered mental health issues, dad says
Police have said Jaden began firing a pistol, which led to the officer returning fire. The officer was uninjured. Responding medical personnel pronounced Jaden dead at the scene.
Initial reports indicated the officer had shot Jaden.
The officer, whose name has not been released, was placed on paid administrative leave, as is standard in police-involved shootings.
Kaiser said the investigation is still in the hands of the state police. Once completed, it will be sent to the Midland County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
In a March 13 interview with The Bay City Times-MLive, Jaden’s father, Todd Marsh, said his son suffered from mental health issues including ADHD and depression. He had previously attempted suicide numerous times and was off-and-on medication.
Todd Marsh added Jaden had left his house a few weeks prior, disappearing with some of his dad’s cash and his vehicle with him. An hour or so before the shooting, Jaden had sent a Snapchat message to a brother in California indicating he had a gun and was going to end his life. Before the brothers’ conversation ended, though, Jaden expressed that he was just tired and was going to bed.
Police have said the gun Jaden used had been reported stolen from an unlocked vehicle parked in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Express, 810 Cinema Drive in Midland, on March 11.
