GUADALUPE COUNTY, Texas — A family in mourning is asking the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office for more transparency when it comes to the shooting death of 77-year-old Kenneth Grimm, who had Alzheimer's. He was shot and killed by a Guadalupe County deputy back in August.
Rebecca Geinzer, Grimm’s first wife wants answers.
“What happened the 27th of August is something that will be etched in our memory forever,” Geinzer said. “There are many steps that could’ve been taken. But the only path that was chosen, was the one that took Ken away from us.”
Civil rights lawyer, Randall Kallinen says there’s a lack of transparency at the sheriff’s department.
“We’re here today to ask the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Department to better train the people who they hire, before they hire them," Kallinen said.
According to the Guadalupe County Sheriff Arnold Zwicke, on August 27, deputies responded to a family disturbance. Family members warned dispatchers that Grimm had Alzheimer’s and was having an episode.
When the deputy arrived, Grimm was in the backyard.
“Grimm who was holding a frying pan, it appeared he was following a family member around the yard,” Zwicke said.
According to the body camera footage shown to reporters by the sheriff, who wouldn’t let KENS record it - Grimm tossed the pan, and then pulled out a kitchen knife.
At the one minute, ten second mark, the deputy asked Grimm to drop the knife. Ten seconds later Grimm was shot twice.
The family has requested to see the footage.
“They have refused so far to do that,” Kallinen said. “And that’s another thing we’re concerned about is a lack of transparency.”
Zwicke says there are protocols that must be followed.
“We’ve got to wait for the grand jury to meet,” Zwicke said. “As in anything there’s potential for a lawsuit and there’s protocol. If they do an open records request we would send that up to our county attorney’s office and if he grants it, I wouldn’t have a problem.”
The family feels if EMS personnel showed up instead of a deputy the shooting may not have happened.
The sheriff says the deputy has been on administrative leave since the shooting in August - and will be back at work Thursday.