Detective Sergeant John T. Grant

John T. Grant

Detective Sergeant Grant was shot and killed at 2300 hours in the 700 block of Parade Street while he and another detective attempted to arrest a man wanted for stabbing another man with a pitchfork.

The suspect knew that the officers were coming for him and waited at his kitchen table with a Springfield rifle. When Detective Sergeant Grant knocked on the door the suspect shot through it, killing Detective Sergeant Grant instantly. The suspect ran out the back door as the other detective ran to the front to check on Detective Sergeant Grant after hearing the gunshot. The suspect was apprehended the following day and sentenced to ten to 20 years for the murder.

Detective Sergeant Grant served with the Erie Police Department for 11 years. On April 1, 2003 - 81 years after his murder - Detective Sergeant Grant was posthumously awarded the department's Medal of Honor.