[OR] Charlotte's relatives say they tried to report Sgt. Grahn & Sheriff Roberts says he feels sick, angry, betrayed

Charlotte Grahn

...Relatives of Charlotte Grahn – who was shot by her husband, [Clackamas County Sheriff's Sergeant] Jeffrey Grahn\ – say she had feared her husband in the past and relatives had attempted to report his previous threatening behavior. If these statements are accurate, then the investigation into these shootings should include an examination of whether official reports about Grahn’s conduct were made, and whether police agencies responded appropriately to allegations against a fellow officer...

Kathleen Hoffmeister

PREVIOUS POST:
[OR] Charlotte murdered for trying to leave Sgt. Grahn, her friend Kathleen Hoffmeister murdered for supporting her, and friend Vickie Schulmerich - in critical condition - ...[Clackamas County Sheriff's Sergeant Jeffrey] Grahn shot and killed his wife, Charlotte, and her friend Kathleen Hoffmeister. He also severely injured Victoria Schulmerich, who is being treated at OHSU Hospital, before killing himself... ...[Walter] Trapp said his sister, Charlotte, was frightened of her husband but afraid to report him to police...

Victoria Schulmerich 

..."As I thought about this (murder-suicide)," [Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts] said, "words really can’t adequately describe the actions that Jeff Grahn took when he shot these three innocent women. It makes me sick. It makes me angry. And it makes me sad for the victims and their families"... Roberts said he felt personally betrayed by Grahn... Just last month, Sgt. Jeffrey A. Grahn taught a course with Trauma Intervention Programs, a nonprofit that offers emotional first-aid to people in crisis...

Kathleen Beth "Katie" Hoffmeister
Published in The Oregonian on February 17, 2010
Guestbook
Obituary

Kathleen "Katie" Beth Hoffmeister
Obituaries for Feb. 17, 2010
The Gresham Outlook
By Calvin Hall
[Excerpts] ...A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, at Greater Gresham Baptist Church, 3848 N.E. Division St... Gresham Memorial Chapel is handling arrangements. [Full article here]

DETAILS ARE EMERGING ABOUT THE THREE WOMEN VICTIMS
Submitted by KATU.com
Mon, 2010-02-15 00:39

KATU PAGE HERE

'I REMEMBER THE GOOD TIMES'
Submitted by KATU.com
Meghan Kalkstein
Mon, 2010-02-15 01:42

KATU PAGE HERE

REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS
The Oregonian
By Rick Bella rickbella@news.oregonian.com
February 16, 2010, 8:17PM
[Excerpts from sidebar] Fund for children: The Clackamas County Peace Officer's Benevolent Foundation has contributed $10,000 to jump-start a benefit fund for children of all of the victims in Friday's shooting rampage. Donations to the Charlotte Grahn Domestic Violence Fund can be made at any branch of Wells Fargo Bank... A benefit fund has been established to help Victoria "Vickie" Schulmerich, who remains hospitalized with a gunshot wound. Donations can be made to the Vickie Schulmerich Fund at any branch of Chase Bank. Memorial: A service for Kathleen "Katie" Hoffmeister will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Greater Gresham Baptist Church... [Full article here]

SHERIFF EXPRESSES DEEP SORROW OVER WHAT HIS DEPUTY DID
Submitted by KATU.com
Tue, 2010-02-16 18:37
[Excerpts] For the first time, we're hearing from the sheriff whose off-duty deputy went on a deadly shooting rampage at a Gresham bar. Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts said words cannot describe his sorrow... "It makes me sick," Roberts said. "It makes me angry. It makes me sad - for the victims and their families." Roberts said the county already has several anti-domestic violence programs for deputies but he said all of them will be reviewed to see what they can do better to try to prevent this kind of tragedy in the future. [Full article here]

BEFORE HIS OWN BURST OF VIOLENCE, CLACKAMAS DEPUTY WORKED IN TRAUMA INTERVENTION
The Oregonian
By Rick Bella rickbella@news.oregonian.com
February 16, 2010, 8:17PM
[Excerpts] Just last month, Sgt. Jeffrey A. Grahn taught a course with Trauma Intervention Programs, a nonprofit that offers emotional first-aid to people in crisis... For years before his own burst of violence, Grahn was a big supporter of Trauma Intervention Programs, ever since he saw first-hand how the volunteers helped trauma victims.... Sheriff Craig Roberts offered his condolences to all the families, saying that Grahn's rampage has caused him a lot of heartache. "It makes me sick. It makes me angry, and it makes me sad for the victims and their families," Roberts said at a Tuesday news conference. Roberts said he felt personally betrayed by Grahn, who began working at the sheriff's office in 1995, rising to sergeant in 2003. Roberts said Grahn's actions would cast a pall on the sheriff's office and the profession. The sheriff's office takes seriously any reports of domestic violence by deputies, Robert said, despite the fact that a conviction could mean the end of a law-enforcement career. Roberts said the sheriff's office has an employee-assistance program and a peer-support team to help deputies work through personal crises. The sheriff's office also works directly with a chaplain, who is available to offer counsel. In addition, deputies are required to attend seminars by Dr. Kevin Gilmartin of Oregon City, a nationally recognized expert on dealing with police stress. "I intend to review all of these programs, looking to see if there is anything we can do better," Roberts said. "This is a huge loss, and it hits right in law enforcement"... The Grahns' children are staying with family members. Staff writers Steve Mayes, Stephen Beaven and Stuart Tomlinson contributed to this report. [Full article here]

Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts

GRESHAM SHOOTING’S LONE SURVIVOR CLINGS TO LIFE
Women became friends through daughters, who were Barlow High School cheerleaders
The Gresham Outlook
By Mara Stine
Feb 16, 2010
[Excerpts] As one woman clings to life, the family of another woman killed in Friday night’s shooting at the M&M Restaurant and Lounge is praying for her survival. Victoria "Vickie" Schulmerich, 53, of Gresham, was shot in the back of her head by her friend’s husband in what police are calling a domestic dispute. The gunman, Jeffrey Grahn, 46, of Boring also shot his wife, Charlotte Grahn, 47, and her friend Kathleen "Katie" Hoffmeister, 53, of Gresham during the 9:47 p.m. shooting Friday, Feb. 12... Schulmerich, the only one to survive the attack, remains in critical condition at Oregon Health & Science University. She is in a medically induced coma in the Intensive Care Unit, and her family is optimistic that she’ll survive, said her cousin Liz Donaugh... "We’re just praying that everything is on our side," Liz said. "She will fight to get back with every fiber of her being...." ...Relatives also credit a bystander at the M&M Lounge with saving Schulmerich’s life. Mona Makela of Gresham left her safe hiding place under a pool table to help Schulmerich following the shooting. Makela applied pressure to Schulmerich’s head wound and turned the woman from her back onto her side, which doctors say likely saved her life. "We’re so grateful," Connie Schulmerich said, breaking down in tears. "She would have bled to death." The three women targeted in Friday night’s shooting became friends through their daughters, who were Barlow High School cheerleaders. Grahn’s brother, Walter Trapp Jr., of Oregon City described his sister – the youngest of six children – as a soccer mom who loved to fish, hunt deer and elk, and who was a country girl at heart. "She was just a good person," he said... Hoffmeister was a "wonderful woman," said Patrick Keep, her longtime friend and boss at Northwest Crane Service in Portland... "She was a dedicated and loyal friend," he said, recalling her infectious smile and deep love for her 20-year-old daughter... "She was upbeat. Loved everybody. She didn’t really have a mean streak in her body"... Schulmerich’s family describes her as an outgoing lover of food, fun and family with a huge circle of friends – all of which her relatives contribute to her Italian heritage and the family’s Southern roots in Baton Rouge, La. "We’ll be having an extra cup of gumbo for Vickie today," Liz said... Victoria "Vickie" Schulmerich, the only survivor of the shooting, works at the school as an educational assistant in the Early Childhood Program through the Multnomah Education Service District... The Clackamas County Peace Officers Association Benevolent Foundation [ccpobf.org.] has set aside $10,000 in a Wells Fargo Bank account entitled "Charlotte Grahn Domestic Violence Fund," which will assist the children of Charlotte Grahn and the families of Kathleen Hoffmeister and Victoria Schulmerich. Anyone may contribute to the fund at any Wells Fargo branch... [Full article here]

GRESHAM RISES ABOVE NIGHT OF DEATH, VIOLENCE
Bystander becomes lifesaver after bullets strike victims at M&M Restaurant
The Gresham Outlook
By Mara Stine
Feb 16, 2010
[Excerpts] ... Michael Friend, lay chaplain for Bikers for Christ, bowed his head, offering blessings and prayers. The crowd stands near the backdoor of the lounge...  Mona Makela happened upon the scene... Feet firmly planted, his arms straight, elbows locked, he fired... She dialed 9-1-1 on her cellular phone and didn’t say a word for fear the gunman would hear her. Instead, she just let the line stay open...  Makela saw that one of the women was still alive. “I didn’t want her to die alone... Please hang in there, please hang in there,” Makela told the woman, rubbing her shoulder, stroking her leg. “You’re going to be OK. Help is on the way.” The family of the surviving shooting victim credits Makela with saving her life... Makela has adopted a new mantra: Faith and fear. “You can’t have one if you’ve got the other, because faith is of God and fear is not,” she said. Others are turning their attention to the M&M’s traumatized owner, hoping to support her, and planning a benefit to help out the victims’ families. “People really rally around each other in this town,” Makela said. “And that’s not going to change.” [Full article here]

COUPLE DIDN’T FOLLOW THROUGH WITH PLANS TO GET A DIVORCE
The Gresham Outlook
By Mara Stine
Feb 16, 2010
[Excerpts]
Divorce attorneys representing Jeffrey and Charlotte Grahn are shocked that the husband shot and killed his wife, plus shot two of her friends and committed suicide, in a Gresham lounge Friday, Feb. 12. Jeffrey Grahn, a Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office sergeant, was off duty when he used his personal .40-caliber Glock to fatally shoot his wife at the M&M Restaurant & Lounge. He then shot two of her friends, killing one of them and critically injuring the other, before turning the gun on himself. Charlotte’s attorney, Scott Downing of Gresham, said both parties wanted to part ways, but Jeffrey filed the divorce papers first in August. Jeffrey was having an affair with a coworker and moved in with the other woman... But Jeffrey later moved back in with his wife... "I believed he was hopeful for a reconciliation with his wife," said Jeffrey’s divorce attorney, Rebecca Schaleger... On Jan. 7, the case was dismissed due to a lack of activity, Downing said. Jeffrey’s divorce attorney suggested he close out the case, but he said no. The financial strain the divorce would have caused was of concern for both Jeffrey and Charlotte... "It’s not the end of the world," Schaleger said. "But I guess it was to him"... Schaleger said the couple was not on her radar of contentious divorces, mainly because they agreed on custody issues... She never saw any indication that issues of jealousy, control or abuse plagued the marriage. Downing, however, said his client feared her husband. She was worried for her safety, as well as her financial security... Charlotte’s brother, Walter Trapp, said his brother-in-law Jeffrey had a violent temper and was a control freak. He recalled how on two occasions Jeffrey, angry that he lost a fish while angling, threw his cellular phone into the Columbia River. His sister never reported her husband to police for fear it would only escalate the situation, Trapp said... But while Charlotte never reported her concerns, Trapp said one of their sisters called police six times to voice hers. When nothing came of it, the family assumed it was because the couple lived in the same jurisdiction where Jeffrey worked. Meanwhile the couple’s four children, ages 13 to 23, are struggling to understand why relatives are planning two separate funeral services for their parents. "They’re having a hard time distinguishing why they aren’t going to be buried together," Trapp said. [Full article here]

SHERIFF RELEASES FEW NEW DETAILS DURING PRESS CONFERENCE
The Gresham Outlook
By Jim Hart
Feb 16, 2010
[Excerpts] ...Obviously distraught by what he called a "tragedy," Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts tried to make some sense of the actions of Deputy Sgt. Jeffrey Grahn, who lived with his family in Boring.... Roberts spoke cautiously during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. "As I thought about this (murder-suicide)," he said, "words really can’t adequately describe the actions that Jeff Grahn took when he shot these three innocent women. It makes me sick. It makes me angry. And it makes me sad for the victims and their families... (Hiring) is a year-long process," he said. "It includes an extensive background check of any kind of history related to (domestic issues), including a psychological exam. After being employed, deputies have fringe benefits that include counseling, peer support and a chaplain. Roberts said he had mandated attendance by all deputies at family violence training provided by a nationally recognized speaker, and asked family members to attend portions of the training. "We intend to review all of these programs," he said, "and see if we can do anything better." Under Roberts’ watch, according to Clackamas County Sheriff’s Det. Jim Strovink, the department has made it a priority to do everything possible to prevent family violence. Strovink detailed the annual workshops on domestic violence and child abuse promoted by the Sheriff’s Office over the past 10 years. Roberts put into perspective the situation with Sgt. Grahn. "The more you think about it," Roberts said, "(Grahn) should have been out there protecting women. But he was the one committing the crime. He betrayed the trust the community placed in him, and he betrayed the trust (his fellow officers) placed in him, and he’s betrayed the trust I’ve placed in him"... "Ten years ago," he said, "we began a direct focus on family violence issues. We even offered training about how to deal with domestic violence within law enforcement." According to Roberts, the department’s current focus is to support the families of the victims. He, therefore, wouldn’t answer questions about whether Grahn had exhibited any warning signs before this incident or whether he had sought counseling... Roberts also wouldn’t answer questions about whether department staff had overlooked information given by Grahn family members, warning about Grahn’s violent attitudes. "This thing just happened Friday (four days earlier)," he said in response to a question. "We’re trying to take a look at everything that has happened so far, and I want to make sure we look at all the details. I don’t want to make a comment on something I’m not 100 percent sure on. We’re doing a thorough review, and we’ll be able to come back and make comments later." [Full article here]

HEED WARNING SIGNS OF ABUSE
The Gresham Outlook
Feb 17, 2010
While it is still too early to draw definite conclusions, what we know so far about Friday night’s shootings point to an extreme case of domestic abuse. Relatives of Charlotte Grahn – who was shot by her husband, Jeffrey Grahn, at the M&M Lounge – say she had feared her husband in the past and relatives had attempted to report his previous threatening behavior. If these statements are accurate, then the investigation into these shootings should include an examination of whether official reports about Grahn’s conduct were made, and whether police agencies responded appropriately to allegations against a fellow officer... Such abuse can be difficult to detect and investigate, because too often the victims are unwilling or feel they are unable to come forward. But the importance of reporting suspected abuse is clearly and tragically reinforced by Friday night’s shootings... [Full article here]
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