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Family ‘devastated’ by Gresham murder-suicide
Uncle of shooter says family thought domestic problems were over
BY JANIE NAFSINGER, JIM HART AND JIM REDDEN
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story_2nd.php?story_id=126609734442689800
Pamplin Media Group, Feb 14, 2010, Updated 9.8 hours ago (28 Reader comments)
JEFFREY GRAHN
The uncle of Jeffrey Grahn, a Clackamas County sheriff's deputy who shot himself and three other women in a murder-suicide, says the family is “devastated” by the killing.
Bob Yungeberg said Sunday from the family home in Boring that the family was dealing with a funeral home and the aftershocks of Friday’s shootings.
“That’s a major shock to them," Yungeberg said.
Grahn, 46, a Clackamas County sheriff’s deputy, shot and killed his wife, Charlotte, 47, at a Gresham restaurant on Friday night. At the same time, Grahn killed Kathleen Hoffmeister, 53, and critically wounded Victoria Schulmerich, 53, before turning the gun on himself.
Schulmerich was listed Sunday in critical condition at the Oregon Health & Science University.
Yungeberg said the Grahn family was not much different from others in the Boring neighborhood, where they lived.
“This was a typical family,” Yungeberg said. “The kids were heavily into sports.”
The family included three sons and a daughter, some from a previous marriage, with the youngest still in public schools.
The Grahns filed for divorce last year but decided to withdraw it from the court system, Yungeberg said.
“They had their problems, and we thought [the problems] had pretty much gone away because they had stopped the divorce proceedings,” said Yungeberg.
The shooting, which Gresham police say was part of a domestic dispute, occurred at about 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12, when Grahn shot his wife and two other women with whom she was socializing inside the restaurant at 137 N. Main Ave., Gresham.
Jeffrey Grahn and Hoffmeister both died at the scene. Charlotte Grahn died Saturday afternoon at Emanuel Hospital. Schulmerich is listed in critical condition.
‘In the middle of a tragedy’
At a press conference Saturday evening, Gresham Mayor Shane T. Bemis, who is a downtown business owner, expressed condolences to the victims’ families and said that downtown Gresham is a safe place.
Family ‘devastated’ by Gresham murder-suicide
Uncle of shooter says family thought domestic problems were over
BY JANIE NAFSINGER, JIM HART AND JIM REDDEN
Pamplin Media Group, Feb 14, 2010, Updated 10.1 hours ago (28 Reader comments)
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“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of last night’s shooting,” said Bemis, who was joined at the press conference by Cody Clark, owner of Café Delirium, and Gresham Police Captain Tim Gerkman. Clark and Gerkman also assured local residents that downtown Gresham is safe.
Friday night’s incident was the second downtown Gresham shooting in two weeks. On Jan. 29, 66-year-old Carroll L. Mayfield was accused of opening fire at the Gresham Players Club, a poker parlor 106 N. Main Ave., and wounding two men.
Gerkman said the two shootings are separate, unrelated incidents. He described Friday’s shooting as an act of domestic violence that happened at a place of business, and it was not a reflection of the city or of Gresham’s downtown business district.
“Domestic violence is hard to predict,” Gerkman said, adding that the two women with Charlotte Grahn were caught “in the middle of a tragedy.”
Heartbreaking event
Grahn was hired by the sheriff’s office in February 1995, and was promoted to sergeant in August 2003. In 2007, Grahn, along with another deputy, received a department commendation for their work handling security for the Clackamas County Courthouse.
At the time, a department press release said: “They've had to do this job during an extensive remodel – which creates a tremendous amount of extra work. For example, they had to monitor and run background checks on well over 100 remodeling contractors.”
The release went on to say that the pair “have only strengthened their reputations for being deeply committed.”
“Sgt. Grahn also supervises transportation to and from the courthouse, and he's worked miracles with a limited staff. He posts overtime. 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,” according to the press release.
On Saturday, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office issued a much different statement – one that extended condolences to the families of all the victims.
“This heartbreaking event has resulted in multiple victims. Our devoted members of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office wish to express and extend their sincere condolences to all the victim families involved that have received the blazing brunt of this heartbreaking event,” the statement said.
Anyone with any information is asked to call Gresham police at 503-618-2719.
Fox 12 contributed to this report.
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