Saturday, February 13, 2010

Officer Jeffrey Grahn Kills Wife, Shoots 2 Others, Then Kills Self

The Clackamas County sheriff's sergeant who shot and killed himself and his wife Friday night had filed for divorce last August, but neighbors said the couple were still living together and appeared to be on good terms.

Jeffrey A. Grahn killed his wife, shot and killed another woman, then wounded a third woman before shooting himself at a crowded Gresham restaurant Friday night, police said.

Grahn of Boring killed his wife, Charlotte Grahn, 47, and her friend Kathleen Hoffmeister, 53, of Gresham. The two women were socializing at the M&M Restaurant and Lounge with their friend Victoria Schulmerich, 53, of Gresham, whom Grahn also shot. Schulmerich was in critical condition Saturday night at OHSU Hospital.

Grahn, 46, opened fire about 9:30 p.m., police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, as was Hoffmeister. Charlotte Grahn was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, where she died Saturday afternoon.

The Grahns had four children, ages 13 to 23.

Police released few details about the shooting Saturday, saying only that it involved a domestic dispute between the Grahns. Officers from the Gresham Police Department, the agency investigating the incident, gave no motive for the shootings and did not say whether Grahn used his service weapon. They also didn't say how many shots Grahn fired.

Grahn, a 15-year veteran of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, joined the department in February 1995 and was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2003. He served as the head of security of Clackamas County Courthouse but had been reassigned as a swing shift supervisor away from the courthouse a year ago, according to Jim Strovink, a spokesman for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. He had no criminal record.

In 2007, Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts issued a commendation to Grahn and to another deputy for their work while the courthouse was being renovated. Both deputies suggested security upgrades to go with the remodel.

"Sgt. Grahn also supervises transportation to and from the courthouse, and he's worked miracles with a limited staff," Roberts said in a news release at the time. "He has enhanced communication between the sheriff's office and judicial and legal staffers. He expanded the use of plans, mission sheets and briefings to improve security. Once the courthouse was completed, it wasn't just an upgrade of a building -- it was an upgrade of an entire system."

The shooting was the second in downtown Gresham in the past two weeks.

Police and Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis held a news conference Saturday to assure the public that the city is still safe.

A replica of a chef stands at the door of the closed M&M Restaurant and Lounge on Saturday morning. The M&M was the scene of a shooting Friday night.Two men who had been smoking outside the restaurant Friday night said they heard a shot and saw a blonde woman drop to the pavement. Then a man ran back into the lounge and they heard two more shots. The men said they often visit the M&M, at 137 N. Main Ave., and described it as a low-key club. A jazz band was playing there Friday night.

Business owner Cissy Heitzman, who wasn't present when the shooting occurred, said the restaurant has been at that location for about 25 years. The area, just north of Powell Boulevard, has a variety of small businesses, including several eateries, a toy store, a furniture outlet and a skate/snowboard shop.

On Saturday afternoon, neighbors of the Grahns quietly discussed the tragedy.

Dean Phelps and Steve Bates, who live on either side of the Grahns, said the couple often had neighborhood barbecues.

"They weren't people who stayed to themselves," Phelps said. "They were good people. And they did a lot of things together as a family."

Phelps said he knew the Grahns had filed for divorce and that they had seen a marriage counselor. He said he didn't talk to the couple about that aspect of their life.

Just a week ago, he said, Grahn, his wife and their youngest son came over to Phelps' home after Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw a pivotal fourth-quarter interception in the Super Bowl. "They both knew I was a big Colts fan," he said, and they brought over a box of tissues to console him after the Colts' loss.

Grahn was the type of person who would stop whatever he was doing to help a neighbor, Phelps said. One time, Grahn helped Phelps with a plumbing problem at his house.

Phelps said Grahn was once in the building industry and that he'd built the three-vehicle shop next to his four-bedroom, three-bath house at Southeast Sylvian Way near the center of Boring. The house is at the end of a cul-de-sac.

Charlotte Grahn often stopped by the Phelps home.

"We'd have a knock on the back door," he said, "and it'd be Charlotte seeing what we were up to."

The couple had planned a trip together to Las Vegas for their daughter's 21st birthday, Phelps said, which they'd done for their eldest son when he turned 21.

Phelps said he viewed the trip as an indication the couple would reconcile.

"We hoped they'd get through this," he said.

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