Comments on: Preliminary Investigation Determines Man Shot Himself After Shooting Alabama Sheriff

By: mercyme

mercyme — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 01:39:56 +0000

My friend, I’m still wearing my campaign hat you gave me once when you were seeking re-election. You have been a great Sheriff since day one and I pray the Lord will grant you a speedy and 100% recovery. Also, my heart aches for the Arrington family as they deal with grief and unanswered questions. May God bless all involved.

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 10:34:45 +0000

That is exactly what I was thinking Simper Fi, why was a extraction team brought in and then the Sheriff go in ahead of them?… That makes zero sense to me.

By: simper Fi

simper Fi — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 03:57:52 +0000

I have been in law enforcement a number of years I am very thankful this sheriff was not seriously injured and sorry for the famialy of the other party involved with this incident. However when this sheriff made the decision to call out a emergency response unit which I think was a professional decision but the decision made by the sheriff to enter the residence was very poor judgement and careless because at that point everyones focus was extracting the sheriff not the suspect. This choice put not only the sheriffs life but the life’s of every officer in the residence at the time. The Sheriff should have let the the emergency response team carry out orders from there commander and take this individual into custody without incident these men are highly trained and skilled in situations as this.

By: Linda in Esc,AL

Linda in Esc,AL — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 03:17:04 +0000

This is a fine example of why our State Mental Hospitals should not be shut down. I do believe Jimmy did serve in Vietnam and has had problems ever since. Our govt needs to do more for Veterans who have served in wars! Grover Smith you are the an excellent Sheriff. Praying for a speedy recovery. Thinking of the Arrington’s at this awful time.

By: Betty & Walt

Betty & Walt — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 01:53:31 +0000

Praying for your family…it doesn’t matter how old our children are they are still our babies…may the Lord bring you peace that Jim is with Him now…never to suffer again….Jim had a sweetness in his heart….God bless you all …..

By: Tommy

Tommy — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 01:20:07 +0000

Bill This is Tommy. Me and the Wife is so sorry for yall lost GOD Bless you and Keep you near him….

By: come on.

come on. — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 15:09:48 +0000

Granddstanding/ Some people just can’t get past the politics…more likely the sheriff knows the family quite well and thought he could help the situaton by being there. It is hard to tell what a mentally impaired person may do. I have had my experiences working with them. By the way, I do not know the sheriff personally or live in Alabama. Just saying that just because you are a politician doesn’t make every thing you do political.

By: SMaxson

SMaxson — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 14:20:51 +0000

kudos John S and Justin

Wasn’t sure anyone was going to talk about the elephant in the room or not. I don’t know Sheriff Grover but have heard that he would do anything for anybody and is a great guy. I hope that he has a full and speedy recovery and will continue to keep him and those involved in this traumatic event in my prayers. Having said that, grand standing puts everyone in danger. Sheriff Grover going in could have and probably did throw the tactical team off,putting themselves and everybody involved in danger. Having another person thrown into the mix puts them off their game. I dont know if the sheriff was or is trained in tactical operations or not but if not it was a very reckless thing for him to do. If I were his wife his actions today would concern me and cause many sleepless nights. Having been in a relationship with an LEO for a number of years, hearing stories of this kind of reckless behavior happening more than I wanted to know, I know that feeling all to well..

By: John S.

John S. — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 13:07:36 +0000

I hate that Grover Smith got shot, but he should of stayed outside and let the SWAT team do what they do!!

By: Justin

Justin — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 13:07:35 +0000

For what purpose, other than showboating (as most Sheriff’s & chiefs like to do) did Grover enter the house with the SWAT team? I’m fairly certain that they were trained and equipped to handle the situation without him. The fact they he was the only officer shot tells me that he made entry with the team with the intention of trying to reason with a dangerous armed suspect using the team as a bunch of bodyguards while he attempted to talk instead of letting the tactical team enter and attempt to take the suspect into custody. I know this post will be unpopular because everybody loves Grover Smith. He’s a great guy and a great sheriff, but when you insert yourself in a bad situation and handle things based on personal feelings and emotion instead of training and experience officers get hurt. I’m sure the SWAT team trained for these types of situations, and having someone tag along on the entry was most likely not a part of that training. I wish the sheriff a speedy recovery and I hope lessons are learned that may prevent officers being unnecessarily injured in the future.