A family has called for better training practices in the sheriff’s department following the terrible event that occurred in late August, in which a 77-year-old man was killed by a Guadalupe County sheriff’s deputy. On August 27, Kenneth Grimm, a retired U.S. Navy veteran and former employee of Texas Lutheran University, was shot and killed while he was having a dementia episode.
According to KSAT, Grimm’s family has voiced their shock, stating that in addition to dementia, he also had Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases and was “slow moving and very thin.” They claim that although the Guadalupe County sheriff’s officer who answered the family’s 911 call was aware of Grimm’s medical issues, the scenario took a deadly turn just minutes later. Randall Kallinen, a civil rights attorney, has highlighted the lack of a taser at the incident, arguing that if the deputy had one, the result would have been different.
Byron Grimm and his fiancée, Lorie Chupp, share the growing worry and think that if the deputies had received the right training or had been armed with tasers, there might have been other options. Chupp told News 4 San Antonio, “We looked at the fact that there are so many other things that could have been done if Guadalupe had trained better, had the tasers, had any other option other than shoot first and ask questions later.”
In response to the event, Sheriff Arnold Zwicke stated that the county does, in fact, surpass the state’s criteria for Alzheimer’s and mental health training. “When someone comes at you with a knife, we’re always trained to be ready for that threat,” Zwicke said, alluding to the crucial incident that led to the deputy’s action. It should be mentioned that the involved deputy, who had less than four months of duty, was cleared by a grand jury and has been on administrative leave since the shooting. News 4 San Antonio reports that this deputy is anticipated to return to duty shortly.
The Grimm family is demanding access to the body camera footage from the incident as well as improved training. The Guadalupe County District Attorney’s Office has not yet responded to any grand jury proceedings, and attorney Kallinen blasted the sheriff’s office for not releasing the video.
Note: Thank you for visiting our website! We strive to keep you informed with the latest updates based on expected timelines, although please note that we are not affiliated with any official bodies. Our team is committed to ensuring accuracy and transparency in our reporting, verifying all information before publication. We aim to bring you reliable news, and if you have any questions or concerns about our content, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!
Leave a Reply