Timothy Holden Obituary, Death; – The individual who was fatally shot by public safety officers on Tuesday in downtown Kalamazoo has been named.
Timothy Holden succumbed to his injuries hours after being shot by two officers near Martin Luther King Park on October 8. According to investigators, the 60-year-old had made multiple threatening phone calls to a woman that morning, asserting that he was in possession of an AK-47 and a handgun with 30 rounds of ammunition. The woman, who contacted 911, reported that Holden had warned her of a potential tragedy if she did not respond to him.
These repeated calls occurred despite a personal protection order prohibiting Holden from contacting the woman, as stated by the police. Holden had a significant criminal record, which included offenses such as home invasion, assault, armed robbery, and stalking. Investigators discovered that he had severed his GPS monitoring device shortly before initiating the phone calls.
At approximately 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, officers observed Holden driving within the city and followed him to Harkins Court, located just north of MLK Park, where they attempted to contain his vehicle. Upon approaching the car, the officers found the 60-year-old armed. During the course of the attempted arrest, two officers discharged their weapons. Holden later died at a hospital.
A firearm was recovered from Holden’s vehicle, and he was prohibited from legally possessing any firearms due to his previous convictions. A witness informed investigators that they had seen Holden using methamphetamine shortly before the police attempted to apprehend him. At the time of the incident, Holden was wanted on felony drug charges and had multiple bond violations.
The Michigan State Police are conducting an investigation into the shooting involving the Kalamazoo Public Safety officers, who are currently on paid administrative leave.
