Alcohol may have been a factor in the shooting death of William Jackson Marble, 68, of Amber Township, according to the Michigan State Police.
“We’ll wait for toxicology results, but we believe alcohol may have been a factor in the incident,” F/Lt. Kevin Leavitt, commander of the Michigan State Police Hart post, said this morning.
Leavitt said an autopsy was performed on Marble Wednesday in Grand Rapids and the results of toxicology tests are not in yet.
He said investigators will pull together all the evidence, including an audio recording of the events from a microphone on the officer who shot Marble.
Marble died Wednesday after being transported to Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital.
Police find domestic dispute
Police have said Marble produced a .380 caliber semiautomatic pistol — a scaled down 9mm — after officers were called to his home for a 911 hangup call at around 11 p.m. Tuesday. They spoke with a woman who answered the door and also lived in the home at 1221 N. Dennis Road at the corner of Hansen Road.
“Once they arrived on scene, they pretty quickly determined they were dealing with a domestic dispute rather than just a 911 hangup call based on what they could hear at the scene,” Leavitt said.
Leavitt said after Marble appeared and pointed a semi-automatic pistol at the trooper, the trooper fired one shot. Leavitt said there is no policy on how many times a trooper should shoot at a person with a gun.
“The training goes back, when you’re using deadly force, that you’d use as much force as is necessary to eliminate the threat,” Leavitt said.
After the shooting, the troopers called for an ambulance. After speaking with police, the woman went with family members, Leavitt said.
Asked if the relationship between Marble and the woman was a romantic relationship, he said that it constituted a domestic relationship. He said because she may have been a victim in the incident he will not release her name.
Both MSP Hart and the Mason County Sheriff's Office reported no past responses to that residence prior to Tuesday night's call.
Investigation continues
“Yesterday was scene management, property collection and evidence collection,” Leavitt said.
“Right now we’re taking the whole event and establishing a timeline of everything that happened so we can get a clear view of everything that happened from start to finish,” Leavitt said. “We’re hoping the audio can help make a very clear view for the prosecutor to look at this and make a very informed decision.”
Leavitt said other agencies will contribute information to the reports for the prosecutor.
“We’re just putting it all together now,” Leavitt said. “The investigation is being done by Sixth District headquarters, it’s not our worksite, although some people at our worksite were involved.”
Leavitt said the trooper who shot Marble will remain on paid administrative leave until the prosecutor rules on the shooting’s legality. The trooper who backed up that trooper is using some paid leave time not related to the shooting, he said.
Shocked by shooting
Many people are still in shock today after learning that Marble, a long-time local teacher, was shot and killed in his home Tuesday night after reportedly confronting Michigan State Police troopers while armed with a semi-automatic pistol.
Marble taught at Mason County Eastern for 33 years and MCE Superintendent Paul Shoup said he also served as an advisor for the student council and ski club and also worked with students outside of the classroom.
Marble bought his home at 1221 N. Dennis Road in 2009, which was also the year he divorced his fourth wife.
Many people who knew Marble wrote about him on Facebook Wednesday.
“Mr. Marble was a very caring teacher,” Susan Williams Kistler commented. “When I was in foster care in Scottville he would stop on his way through to give me a ride to school to try and keep me in school. I would see him in the years to come and he would always take time to talk to me. Until we know all of the info please don’t judge Mr. Marble or the state trooper.”
“Wow, he was a great teacher. Really surprised to hear this,” wrote David Bourdage.
“I am picking my jaw off the floor. One of my favorite teachers… what a sad situation,” wrote Anna Lodes.
Cheryl Shilling was shocked by the shooting and wrote that Marble taught both of her children.
“He was a very nice man,” Shilling wrote.
“Our prayers are with the family. He was always kind to our family,” Yvonne Wythe wrote.
Tonya Bates was saddened by the incident.
“So sad. He was a great teacher,” she wrote. “My thoughts and prayers for everyone involved.”
When to shoot
Some people commenting on Facebook on Wednesday’s Ludington Daily News disagreed about under what circumstances an officer should fire.
“What a very sad situation. Let’s just wait for all the facts,” wrote Dorothy Taranko.
Wednesday’s shooting was the third involving a police officer in the past 19 months.
The first was June 27, 2012, when Lowell Fetters shot Ludington Police Sgt. Dave Maltbie, who had responded to a domestic disturbance call to Fetters’ home. Fetters was sentenced on the crime Tuesday.
The next was on Sept. 9, 2013 during a traffic stop at Custer Road north of Townline Road. At that time, Michigan State Police Trooper Paul Butterfield was shot and later died from his wound. Eric Knysz, 19, of Luther, faces a murder charge for Butterfield’s death.
The third was on Tuesday night at Marble’s home.
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William Jackson Marble, 68
