Benton County Sheriff's Office, Missouri
End of Watch: Sunday, September 21, 1924
Age: 43
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: September 21, 1924
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Killed in prison
Sheriff Garrett Groomer was shot and killed while attempting to arrest five suspects who had just robbed a store in Warsaw, Missouri.
The five suspects were arrested in Illinois and sent to two different jails. Three of the suspects escaped but they were all eventually taken back into custody.
Four of the suspects were convicted of Sheriff Groomer's murder and sentenced to life in prison on December 9th, 1924. The fifth and youngest, only 18, testified against the others. He was was sentenced to 5 years and paroled on February 5, 1925. Another was paroled in 1942. On January 3, 1945, Sheriff Groomer's killer was stabbed to death by a fellow inmate at the state penitentiary.
Sheriff Groomer was survived by his wife, son, and three daughters. Sheriff Groomer's wife was appointed sheriff the day after he was killed.