MARYSVILLE, Ohio — The brother of the man who was fatally shot by a Union County Sheriff's Deputy in Marysville on Monday is talking about his mental health struggles.
“It's a tragic death. So it's expected that family is this morning. I just take a little different approach to it because I'm in law enforcement,” said Jonathon Todhunter, brother of 33-year-old Matthew Todhunter who died last night from a shooting in Marysville.
Jonathon, who is a deputy for a law enforcement agency in Columbus, says as a member of police, he understands the protocols and training in place officers must endure when faced with an armed person who pulls a gun on officers.
“I also grieve for the deputy that had to make his life. Nobody ever wants to be put in that position to take somebody's life. I'm also grieving for the sheriff's office, for the Marysville Police Department for the EMS units that had to show up on scene and experience that because I think a lot of times in a shooting, we forget about those people and we just focus on the person that was killed,” Jonathon shares.
According to Marysville police, officers were called to Meadowlark Lane Monday evening after residents reported someone pointing a gun at people. Another caller reported a man was intoxicated and was making statements saying he was going to die.
Deputies from the Union County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Marysville Division of Police were dispatched to the scene where Matthew was sitting in a white truck with tinted windows.
According to police, Matthew then pulled a gun on officers at the scene when a deputy fired.
"They have to make a split-second decision quickly and if there is a threat that they perceive then they have to meet that threat with necessary use of force,” says Union County Sheriff Jamie Patton.
Patton says the deputy who fired the shot is now on paid administrative leave as the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations investigates the incident as an independent agency.
According to BCI, an investigation like this could take an average of 400 hours to complete.
Jonathon said Matthew suffered from mental health issues including depression and addictions to drugs and alcohol. He also had ongoing custody battles with his former partner for his 4-year-old son.
“He was hurting. I know he was hurting very badly. He was going pretty much from one addiction to another. He had treatment before he had been through rehab. He had been clean for a period of time. You know, addiction and mental health, it's a real thing that needs to be addressed,” Todhunter said.