Officer Peter Alan Grignon

At approximately 6:30 A.M., Officer Grignon was dispatched to a reported hit & run motor vehicle accident. After locating a burning vehicle in a field near the location of the reported incident, he called for the Fire Department and then rode through the area looking for suspects. Approximately two blocks from the scene, he located two teen-aged males walking in the street and notified dispatchers that he was stopping to question them. A few minutes passed and dispatchers requested Officer Grignon's status, to which he replied "10-86" (Situation under control, help not needed).

A witness later described the initial encounter between Officer Grignon and the suspects as being calm, but heard gunshots after she turned away and closed her door. Nineteen seconds later, a backup unit arrived on the scene and called "Officer Down".

The suspect, Travis Ballard, was seventeen years old and had an extensive history of criminal activity and mental problems. When the backup officer arrived, Ballard tried unsuccessfully to remove Officer Grignon's firearm from it's holster. He then turned his gun on himself and took his own life.

Officer Grignon was rushed to University of Louisville Hospital with four gunshot wounds to the face and neck area. Surgeons worked diligently to save his life, but he succumbed to his wounds at approximately 9:30 A.M.

Officer Grignon was 27 years old and had been married for one year and three days. He was nearing the end of his first work shift after returning from an anniversary getaway to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Officer Grignon was a Charter Member of SUPPORTING HEROES. In an effort to honor his memory and continue his legacy of service and support of public-safety survivors, his wife, Rebecca, served as a member on the Board of Trustees.