The boy had suffered severe brain injuries and his organs were being donated, according to Mark Granger, the lawyer that Jaiden’s mother works for as a paralegal and who spoke on behalf of the family Saturday.
Jaiden was the first victim in a series of violent encounters Friday that ended in the death of his mother’s ex, 47-year-old Danny Thornton.
Thornton shot Jaiden around 7:30 a.m. Friday when the boy answered the door at a residence in Grove City, a suburb on the city’s southwest side, according to Grove City police Capt. Jeffrey Pearson. About a half-hour later, police said Thornton shot an ex-girlfriend, 42-year-old Vicki Vertin, at a dental office in Groveport, a suburb on the city’s southeast side.
Police said Thornton entered the office and said, “Haven’t seen you in a while” before shooting Vertin, a dental employee.
Thornton was tracked to a retail parking lot about two hours later and shot to death by police when he emerged from his car holding a gun, authorities said.
Vertin was hospitalized in critical condition Friday and an update on her condition was not available early Sunday. A police officer was also wounded.
Police said they recovered a handgun, which has been turned over to investigators to determine if Thornton fired at the officer. They were still trying to learn what set him on his deadly path.
In a 911 call, a police dispatcher warned that Thornton had threatened “suicide by cop.” The dispatch said Thornton had “claimed that he will not go down without a fight with police.”
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