Indiana man kills doctor who refused to prescribe wife opioids

Tablets of the opioid-based Hydrocodone at a pharmacy in Portsmouth, Ohio, June 21, 2017. (Reuters)

An Indiana doctor who would not prescribe opioids to a female patient was shot and killed Wednesday by the woman's husband, who later killed himself, the South Bend Tribune reports.

Dr. Todd Graham, 56, was shot by Michael Jarvis of Mishawaka, St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter told reporters Thursday.

The shooting took place in a parking lot at Saint Joseph Rehabilitation Institute, which was near where Graham worked at South Bend Orthopaedics, according to the newspaper.

Jarvis' wife had a 10:45 a.m. appointment Wednesday with the doctor, Cotter said. Graham said "that he was not going to prescribe any opioid drugs," the prosecutor explained, saying that "Jarvis became upset with that and an argument ensued."

Jarvis, 48, returned, and while Graham was going from an orthopedic building to a rehab building, "came in contact with Jarvis again; there was again an argument," Cotter said. Jarvis followed Graham as he went to the other building, he said.

Jarvis told two witnesses to leave before shooting the doctor, according to the prosecutor. He said that Graham was shot shortly before 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Jarvis went to the home of a friend, "gave indication that he was no longer gonna be around," and the friend contacted police, Cotter said. Jarvis took his own life before police showed up, he said.

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Jarvis' wife didn't know what her husband was up to, Cotter said.

"There's some indication that Jarvis may have also had his own issues," he told reporters. "We're still investigating that."

An online obituary for Graham says that he is survived by his wife and three children.

A Notre Dame University spokesman said in a statement to the South Bend Tribune that Jarvis was "an on-call, part-time parking attendant and groundskeeper," and that Graham was a consulting physician at the school.

"Make no mistake, this is a person who made a choice to kill Dr. Graham," Cotter said. "This is not a fallout from any opioid epidemic or any opioid problems."