Dec 2023. Blues Vol 39 No. 12

announced.
Officer Adam Sullentrup and
Detective Sgt. Mason Griffith
were dispatched to the Casey’s
General Store in Hermann
in March to arrest Kenneth Lee
Simpson, 34, for multiple outstanding
warrants from Franklin
and Warren counties. Simpson
allegedly opened fire on the
two officers, killing Griffith and
severely wounding Sullentrup.
Sullentrup was shot in the head
and side, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
reports.
Simpson was arrested following
an hourslong standoff in a
Hermann home. He was charged
with first-degree murder, two
counts of armed criminal action
and first-degree assault. He has
pleaded not guilty. Trial is scheduled
for Jan. 20, 2026, KOMU
reports.
VA. STATE UNIVERSITY OF-
FICER SHOT ON DUTY PAR-
ALYZED FROM THE WAIST
DOWN
By Joanna Putman
Police1
PETERSBURG, Va. — A campus
police officer at Virginia State
University has been paralyzed
from the waist down after being
shot while responding to a disturbance,
13News Now reported.
The Nov. 12 shooting occurred
when Officer Bruce Foster
stopped and began talking
with a group that was causing
a disturbance, according to the
report. After falsely identifying
himself to Foster, one person,
now identified as 21-year-old
Reginald L. King Jr., ran away on
foot.
As Foster ran after King Jr., a
second suspect, now identified
as 21-year-old Deonta M. Blount,
shot Foster in the back. Both suspects
fled and Foster was taken
to a hospital with life-threatening
injuries, according to the
report.
Since the incident occurred,
Foster’s condition has improved
to stable and both suspects have
been found and arrested, the
Chesterfield County Police Department
told 13News Now.
An online fundraiser created by
the Virginia Association of Chiefs
of Police states that doctors have
diagnosed Foster with paralysis
from the waist down, according
to the report.
“As the wife of a police officer,
you live with a constant undercurrent
of worry, but Bruce’s
strength and dedication always
bring a sense of calm,” Foster’s
wife, Diedra, wrote and posted
on the fundraiser page. “That
calm was shattered early Sunday
morning when I received the
call that Bruce had been shot
while on duty at Virginia State
University. The man who left our
home, strong and full of resolve,
was now fighting for his life in
a hospital bed, with his family
surrounding him, praying for returned
sensation from the waist
down.”
FORMER POLICE CHIEF
KILLED IN HOSPITAL SHOOTING
Law Officer
CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire
officials provided additional
information Saturday about
the fatal shooting at a Concord
72 The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue