PAW PAW, Mich. — Law enforcement in Van Buren County are speaking out following Friday's fatal shooting on the South pier in South Haven saying the teen should not have been tried as a juvenile nor released from custody following the planned attack on his high school in 2018.
They believe that if 19-year-old Aidan Ingalls had faced tougher penalties back then, he wouldn't have had the chance to shoot two people on the South Pier Friday.
Police say Ingalls gunned down a southwest Michigan couple near a busy South Haven beach last Friday. The man died from his wounds while his wife remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Ingalls was also found dead on the pier after turning the gun on himself.
Back in 2018, Ingalls planned to shoot up his high school when he was 15 years old but police foiled his plan. Court documents reveal that he received numerous charges including possession of bombs, larceny of a firearm, possession of a short-barreled shotgun/rifle and possessing firearms while committing or attempting to commit a felony.
Law enforcement and the Van Buren County Prosecutor spoke Monday standing in agreement that the suspect should have faced harsher penalties for the planned school attack.
"As prosecutor, I argued the risk to public safety was too great and the alleged offense too heinous to allow a juvenile sentence. The judge disagreed," Van Buren County Prosecutor Susan Zuiderveen said.
Zuiderveen said her office presented a mound of evidence that also included the suspect's plans to shoot people in South Haven during a fireworks show.
Van Buren County Circuit Judge Jeffrey J. Dufon allowed Ingalls to enter a guilty plea on two counts -- using explosives on a vulnerable target and a firearms charge in juvenile court.
Ingalls was ultimately released 31 days before the tragedy on the South Haven pier.
Court documents show that he was released because he had completed treatment and all probation requirements. Ingalls was also about to reach the maximum age of jurisdiction for a juvenile. Documents say that he was receiving mental health services at the time of his case closure.
"Law enforcement and the prosecutor's office did everything we could. The decision was not ours to make," Zuiderveen said.
If Ingalls would have been tried as an adult, the prosecutor could have fought for a longer probation period as well as more jail time.
Some law enforcement officials believe the slaying on the pier could have been avoided.
"Judge Dufon made the wrong decision in this case. There's no denying that," Paw Paw Chief of Police Eric Marshall said.
"I was sickened like I was on Friday. I saw things in this case that I haven't seen in 38 years. This is one of those cases that could have been preventable."
Judge Dufon was not immediately available for comment, but Chief Judge Kathleen Brickley shared a statement about Aidan Ingalls:
"Our justice system is a constant balancing act – balancing our rights and liberties as individuals with the safety and security of the public. We have our state and federal constitutions, statutes, court rules, and processes designed to find that balance and to protect both interests.
Those processes always work better when the different players in the justice system work together. In this case, after much deliberation, there was agreement by the elected prosecutor at the time that the chosen path forward was the right one, and there was no appeal of the court’s decision.
Today, we all mourn a tragedy, offer our condolences to the affected families, and should come together as a community to make sure that we all support and help those in need."
South Haven Police Chief Natalie Thompson reaffirmed that investigators believe the shooting was a random act.
Two firearms were recovered from the shooter, including a 9mm handgun and a pellet gun. At least a dozen spent casings were located, but it’s still unknown how many shots were actually fired.
Authorities are still working to find out how the teen gained access to a gun.
Due to his past conviction, police said he should not have been able to purchase a weapon.
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