'My heart was ripped in half' | Texas family called authorities expecting help, but instead their father ended up dead
In Seguin, Texas, a tragic incident involving 77-year-old Kenneth Grimm, a Navy veteran with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, and dementia, has raised concerns about police response to mental health crises. On August 27, 2024, Grimm's family called 911 seeking help after he had cut himself, expecting an EMS response. Instead, a deputy from the Guadalupe County Sheriff's Office arrived on the scene, leading to a confrontation that ended with Grimm being shot and killed.
According to his daughter-in-law, Lorie Shupp, she informed the deputy about Grimm's medical conditions and that he was only armed with a frying pan. After some initial de-escalation attempts succeeded in getting Grimm to drop the pan, the situation escalated when he pulled out a knife. The deputy, identified as Gary Courtney, drew his weapon and retreated, but within a matter of seconds, he shot Grimm twice, resulting in his death. Shupp has expressed her distress, stating that she felt ignored during the encounter and believed she could have managed the situation better.
The Grimm family is questioning why non-lethal options, such as a taser, were not utilized and believes there were several opportunities for the deputy to de-escalate the situation without resorting to lethal force. Civil rights attorney Randall Kallinen, representing the family, highlighted the tragedy of the incident and criticized the decision-making process of the responding deputy. A grand jury chose not to indict Deputy Courtney on criminal charges, prompting further outrage from the family.
In response to the incident, the Grimm family is calling for change within the Guadalupe County Sheriff's Office. They urge Sheriff Joshua Ray, who was not in office during the shooting, to implement taser training and create specialized mental health crisis teams to handle similar situations more appropriately in the future. The family is advocating for reforms to prevent similar tragedies from occurring again.
Sheriff Ray has acknowledged the incident and expressed his condolences to the family, emphasizing the difficulty of split-second decision-making faced by law enforcement. He has announced plans to conduct a complete audit of the department's policies and procedures, including the acquisition of tasers and other non-lethal tools to enhance officer training and preparedness. However, he remains uncertain if these measures would have changed the outcome of Grimm's case.