The father of the man recently pulled from Lake Michigan is asking for something to be done around the lighthouse.
The body of 20-year-old Johnathan Shields Jr. was recovered from the lake on March 30th, after he jumped in to take his own life the day prior.
In the days following the tragedy, Johnathan Shields Sr. took a walk out to where his son spent his final moments, and he realized just how dangerous that area can be.
“Say somebody is intoxicated. They could just fall in, right on the side,” he explained. “I feel like I need to be lights out there, cameras. Something that can be detect to the police operator and say, ‘Okay, there’s somebody in the area. Go patrol it,’ or something like that.”
The lighthouse may be an icon of the Lake Michigan shoreline, but its legacy has been tarnished in Johanthan’s eyes, as his son’s death is the third that occurred there.
In 2022, two men close to Shields also fell into the lake at the lighthouse.
“I never seen my friend hurting. Never,” Shields recalled. “I would have never thought that, so it shocked me. Just like it shocked people when John Junior did it.”
Shields is also looking to have signs installed around the lighthouse featuring words of affirmation and suicide prevention resources.
His hope is that the next person thinking about ending their life there will reconsider.
He posed the hypothetical situation where someone would “Look over at that sign and say, you are loved by the community. You are great. You are beautiful. You are strong. You are a survivor. I’m gonna turn back around and walk to my car. I’m about to go home and hug my mom or my wife or my kids.”
Those looking to help support the family can send cash, checks, or money orders to Shields and Sanders Auto Body, located at 7807 State Highway 147 in Two Rivers, or send a donation via CashApp to ShieldsLLC85.
