GUADALUPE COUNTY, Texas – A family urged the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office to improve training after one of its deputies fatally shot a 77-year-old man in August 2024.
Guadalupe County Sheriff Joshua Ray told KSAT in a Saturday statement that he has ordered an audit to review policies and procedures. He said he plans to request funding for non-lethal tools.
Kenneth Grimm’s family held a press conference on Saturday at the sheriff’s office in Seguin.
Grimm, who suffered from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases as well as dementia, was fatally shot on Aug. 27, 2024, on Nogal Street, located within the gated Las Brisas subdivision off State Highway 46.
During the conference, relatives called for the sheriff’s office to start a training program on how to deal with people with Alzheimer’s.
The family also urged the sheriff’s office to equip patrol deputies with Tasers or “other less-than-lethal gear” and to discuss other needed changes.
“When the person called 911, they were asking for medical help,” Rebecca Geinzer, Grimm’s former wife, said.
In a press release, Grimm, a retired U.S. Navy veteran and former Texas Lutheran University employee, was at a relative’s home and became agitated with a cut on his arm.
The family said they had called 911, and a Guadalupe County sheriff’s deputy responded to the scene. When the unidentified deputy arrived, Grimm’s family members said they told the deputy about Grimm’s conditions.
“Within a minute and 30 seconds, Ken was shot and killed,” Geinzer said. “Get Tasers, train your officers. Train your officers so that they look at the situation, figure out how to deal with it before shooting.”
“Ken was slow moving,” civil rights lawyer Randall Callahan said. “Did he have a knife in his hand? Yes. But he was slow-moving. Why wasn’t a crisis intervention team called?”
Grimm and Geinzer’s son, Byron, and daughter-in-law, Lori, also attended the family press conference.
Byron said he decided not to watch the body camera video.
“I don’t want to have to go through more trauma than what we’ve already been through with the loss of my father,” Byron said.
Lori told KSAT she was standing next to Kenneth at the home when the incident happened.
“There was so many things that could have been done and my father-in-law would still be here with us right now,” Lori said.
KSAT reached out to the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office on Friday evening and Saturday morning, both by email and phone and visited the sheriff’s office in Seguin to speak with deputies about the incident.
Sheriff Joshua O. Ray provided the following statement to KSAT on Saturday:
“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."
According to the Sheriff, the investigation into this incident is complete, and the officer who shot Kenneth is back on regular duty.
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