GUADALUPE COUNTY, Texas — 77-year-old Kenneth Grimm, was a Navy veteran who suffered from Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and dementia.
When his family called authorities, they expected help. Instead, Grimm ended up dead.
The shooting happened in Seguin, on Aug. 27, 2024. Grimm’s family says he had cut himself, so they called 9-1-1 for help.
They were expecting EMS, but instead a Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded.
In the video you can hear Grimm’s daughter-in-law, Lorie Shupp, explain his medical condition to the deputy.
The deputy asked if Grimm was armed, and Shupp replied he has a frying pan. When the deputy confronts Grim, another person is able to convince him to throw the pan down, but then Grimm pulls out a knife.
The deputy grabbed his gun and asked Grimm to drop the knife and starts backing up. Eight seconds later, the deputy shot Grimm twice, killing the 77-year-old.
“I kept telling him, I’ve got this please just back up. Let me handle my dad, and once again, the deputy did not acknowledge that I was standing there,” said Lorie Shupp, Grimm’s daughter-in-law.
The Grimm family believes that the deputy, who the family attorney has identified as Gary Courtney, should have done more to diffuse the situation instead of using deadly force.
“Why didn’t the officer have a taser? He could have used a taser. Why did he shoot to kill, he could have shot him in the leg,” said Randall Kallinen, Civil Rights Attorney & Grimm Family Attorney.
Kallinen says a grand jury declined to indict Deputy Cortney on criminal charges. Kallinen says there were multiple opportunities to prevent this tragedy.
The family is also calling on the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office for change, and had a message for Sheriff Joshua Ray.
“Get tasers. Train you officers, so that they look at the situation, and figure out how to deal with it before shooting. Look at how much pain ,and agony, and grief one simple minute, 8 seconds caused,” said Rebecca Geinzer, Kenneth Grimm’s first wife.
The family is also calling on the department to create a mental health crisis team.
“You read about this, you see it on the news happening to other people. It happened to us, and it can happen to somebody else, and that’s why were here,” said Byron Grimm, Kenneth’s Son.
The Guadalupe County Sheriff Joshua Ray, who was not in office at the time of the shooting, issued this statement.
I have reviewed the video footage and spoken with a member of Mr. Grimm’s immediate family in some detail regarding the incident that took place in August of 2024 before my term in Office. I am sincerely sorry for the loss of his life and the grief it has caused his family. In the law enforcement profession, we are often placed in critical situations and required to make split second decisions that may result in either the preservation or loss of life. Sometimes police officers are faced with a decision that has no good solution. Either choice can result in a tragic outcome.
When I took office, I ordered my leadership team to conduct a full audit and review of Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office policies and procedures in order to align our policies with best acceptable practices in the law enforcement profession. This is currently in progress. Additionally, we have already met with multiple vendors and intend to request funding from the Guadalupe County Commissioners’ Court to purchase tasers and other non-lethal tools that our personnel are not currently equipped with. All though, I’m not sure a less lethal option would have resulted in a different outcome in this specific incident.
Again, we are deeply sorry for the loss of Mr. Grimm and the grief his family has experienced.