Veteran committed suicide during standoff with Police after VA cuts meds

Police: Barricaded gunman standoff ends in suicide

Daily Telegram
By Dmitriy Shapiro
Staff Writer
May 2, 2019

Eichler said Stidham, a veteran, complained for awhile that the Veterans Affairs hospital he was going to said that they were going to remove him from his medications.

ADRIAN — A standoff Wednesday with a barricaded gunman in an Adrian neighborhood ended tragically as authorities reported finding the gunman dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Randy James Stidham, 59, of Adrian was found dead shortly before 7:40 p.m. after remotely operated vehicles with the Michigan State Police Bomb Squad were sent through his house at 624 Ormsby St.

At press time, Adrian Deputy Police Chief Lawrence Van Alstine said that investigators do not know what caused Stidham to barricade himself in his house and eventually take his life but were working on interviewing his friends and family as the investigation continues.

“He wasn’t interested in apparently communicating with us. Our goal was to have a peaceful resolution, and this is not that,” Van Alstine said. “Other than him, no one is hurt, but he’s still somebody’s family and it’s important that we don’t forget that.”

Police first arrived at the scene at 5 a.m. following reports of gunshots. Van Alstine said that two officers were shot at but neither were hit.
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