I’m angrier than a Mexican without beans over this story. I’m angry because someone was portrayed as being a victim when in fact he was the aggressor. First things first: just like the subject of this story, I served in the military. No, I was not a combat veteran, and I obviously never went to Vietnam.
Carl Grant, 68, a Marine and a Vietnam veteran, died four years ago. By the time of his death, he was aged 69. He died as a direct result of trying to break into a house that wasn’t his. Obviously, there is never any excuse for breaking into another man’s home. You do that and you risk leaving boots up, which is what happened to Grant.
The media is trying to paint him as being the victim by reporting that he was “elderly” and suffered from “dementia.” First of all, sixty-eight is not elderly and if he suffered from dementia, what was he doing in society?
Grant didn’t die suddenly or anything like that. As punishment for attempting to breach the security of another man’s home, he was justly paralyzed and he continued to live until he was slammed by a cop into the ground in an emergency room. It was, of course, all caught on tape.
The Associated Press reported that “[p]oliceman Vincent Larry pushed him down the stairs of the house’s porch
and took him to the hospital for gashes on his forehead from the fall.” Larry also reportedly pushed him down the stairs of that innocent homeowner’s abode. It wasn’t a good day for Grant, was it? No, it wasn’t.
Apparently, Grant’s spine was “destroyed,” thus sayeth the AP. Before the incident, Grant apparently left his own home to procure groceries. He finally made it home and used his keys to unlock the door. Problem is, it wasn’t his home at all.
The homeowner called 911 rather than shoot the intruder. Both he and his victim lived in a one-story brick house, but that’s still no excuse for trying to break into someone’s home and victimize them even further.
One police officer apparently recognized the symptoms of dementia, but again that’s no excuse. Dementia is not an excuse for criminal activity. Never! But wait, there’s more!
Less than an hour later and a half a mile away, officers again found Grant on another man’s property. He was sitting in a porch swing and swore to police that he had paperwork inside that would prove his innocence. Grant then attempted to enter the second home. It was at this point, the AP reported, he was shoved down the stairs of the second victim’s home.
He was taken to the hospital for the head injury, and at this point, his fate was sealed. A police officer continued with the arrest after claiming that Grant assaulted him. Again, dementia is no excuse to break the law.
It was not soon after when Grant, for some reason, was body slammed into the floor with such force that a nurse claimed that he bounced “four inches off the floor.” The move that the police officer used was referred to as a “hip toss,” something that the officer didn’t learn at the academy. However, the officer was more than justified in using force.
Sadly, that officer was found to have used excessive force and was unjustly given a suspension of fifteen days as well as additional training. No good deed goes unpunished.
What happened to Grant was completely justified. His veteran status cannot and should not be used to explain away his actions. He attempted to break into two homes in less than two hours. He had to be put down for the safety of society.
Look, I served in my beloved US Army. Grant served in Vietnam as a Marine. I do respect his service to our country and I recognize that he didn’t come back from Vietnam the same man that he was when he left for Vietnam. But tons of veterans served there too, and they don’t go slithering around trying to break into peoples’ homes.
I feel no sympathy for Grant and his family. He made the first move and the police did what was necessary to protect society. Game over.