Yes, it’s this real out here.

The state of Texas, which is constantly trying to trivialize mental health and criminalize welfare, became the scene of a horrific crime that stressed the importance of both in a civilized nation.

After being denied food stamp benefits, Rachelle Grimmer, 38, committed suicide in the Texas Health and Human Services Commission office in Laredo late Monday afternoon — after holding a supervisor hostage and critically wounding her two children, said authorities.

Investigator Joe Baeza of the Laredo Police Department, contends that Grimmer was obviously distraught, angry and disappointed that her case had been denied and that she walked around the office threatening employees with a handgun.

“She had issues and felt that she had been let down by social services in general,” Baeza told Reuters on Tuesday. “She was making all sorts of outlandish claims.”

Over three dozen employees and participants were present at the time of the incident, and a SWAT team was able to clear the building and the surrounding area. Unfortunately, not before Grimmer took a male supervisor hostage.

According to reports, the supervisor was allowed to go free after two hours of negotiations; but; it swiftly became clear that Grimmer, who was known to bounce from home to home since arriving in Laredo eight months ago from Ohio, had a more sinister agenda. Still barricaded in the office with her 10-year-old son, Timothy, and 12-year-old daughter, Ramie, negotiators at the scene report that at approximately 11:45 p.m. she hung up the phone — and it was mere minutes later when three booming shots sliced through the tense air.

“What had happened was that she had shot each of her children once and herself once, “Baeza said on Tuesday.

The children were listed as being in critical condition early Tuesday, after being air-lifted to a San Antonio hospital; their mother was pronounced dead at the scene.

“We’re still trying to track down exactly what happened with the case,” said Stephanie Goodman, a spokesperson for the Health and Human Services Commission, to Reuters. “As you can probably imagine, I think she had a lot of other issues she was dealing with as well.”

Counseling is being offered to employees who may have been affected by the shooting, and the tragic incident has made the state revisit how best to ensure the safety of their clients and employees. An unarmed security guard was the only protection on the scene.

– Kirsten West Savali

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16 Comments

  1. What is this world coming to??? So sad…

  2. What a sad story … The worst part is that we probably are going to see more stories like this if the government keeps ppl dependent on assistance because they’re dependent on The Fed Bank …

  3. This is happening all over the US. Many hardworking tax paying Americans that have become unemployed due to the economy are being denied the rights to the foodstamp program. These are the people who deserve it but witnessed with my on eyes i have watched many americans being denied while illegals are getting foodstamps with no problems and this is the truth. It is sad all the way around! What is even sadder is our own Government had rather let its on people starve while they suck almost half the middle class americans earnings but will make sure the illegals have food, housing, medical, and get to bring home every dime they make.

  4. It is amazing how Counseling is offered to the Employees. But no mention if there was any offered to the woman after she found out she was denied. Is there any counseling going to be offered to the children now that THEY ARE ALSO AFFECTED BY THE INCIDENT. NO MOTHER.

    • @Virginia J:

      Food stamps are a benefit, not a right. The employees are people who are just enforcing the policies and guidelines set by your federal government- they don’t create the policies themselves. Of course they need couseling after someone came into their work with a gun! Would you feel safe returning to work if you knew that someone could enter at any time with a weapon that could end your life? And why would the government offer counseling to someone who was denied food stamps? It’s an income based program. If someone is denied, they are denied by the policies set forth by your government!

      • @amy:
        Thank u. I am an eligibility case worker….almost ten years now… I have also been a food stamp recipient. It is unfortunate that these children no longer have a mother and that her being denied assistance was what pushed mom over the edge. You are right on the money with how we the employees are really just implementing FEDERAL and STATE POLICIES. Hell I work for them and I still live paycheck to paycheck and am over the income for Food Stamps myself. I am a single mother of four school aged kids and I have had to utilize many community resources for food and utility assistance to get us through. It is hard out here for EVERYBODY. I feel bad for the family because clearly they were suffering but the mom must have had some kind of income for her to be denied. Though every state differs and there are other components of ineligibility, many times it is because the fam may be over income especially if they are U.S. citizens.
        @Virginia. If u see an illegal alien with benefits they either have children who were born here, or may be an asylee. So even though it looks like benefits are given to non citizens, its not completely so. If you are a citizen, in many cases, and u meet the income requirements, and you have never had a felony for distribution of drugs, there is a chance one may be eligible. Everyone is evaluated case by case while the policies are implemented. I am really freaked out personally because that is the work that I do every single day. So I am afraid for my own and my co workers safety too.

  5. Counseling for employees but no mention of helping those kids. regardless as to what issues she had, this one going right could’ve saved a life.

  6. This is a very unfortuante story. I pray for those children they are going to need some therapy and assistance once they get out the hospital.

  7. This is sad, people have worked all their lives and paid for these services and then, when they need help, its denied. It happened to me also. There are families living here near me who have been on welfare for over 26 years! They are healthy and fully able to work and they live high on the hog because they are black. When a white person needs help, they are turned down by a black welfare caseworker. This is most likely what happened here. Black caseworkers will lie and say they didn’t receive forms in time, or they will put in wrong information, or send you out requests for information late so you can’t possibly get it back to them by a deadline. They think welfare is only for them, and thats it is owed for all the hardships their ancestors had. Truth is, they were sold into slavery by their own people. Villages raided villages and then sold the captives to passing ships. I want to see the full story, and see if this woman met the income guidlines for food stamps. I’ll bet she did!

  8. I am wondering what was the reason she was denied food stamps. She must have been in great need for them to take such drastic action. Was she on medication? What was her mental state of mind? I think her case should have been looked into more closely by a DHS case manager. My prayers go out to her children and hope they make it through this sad ordeal.

  9. I was wondering why this lady was dedied food stamps for her children and herself. She must have been in desperate need for them to take such drastic action. Was she on medication and what was her mental state of mind? I think her application should have been turned over to a DHS case manager to review her situation. My prayers goes out to her children and hope they recover fom this terriable ordeal.

    • LORRAINE rIZZUTO

      @i WAS JUST DENIED FOODSTAMPS IN mASSACHUSETTS, SO i CAN RELATE TO THIS WOMAN. i AM ON MONTHLY MEDICINE BECAUSE I AM EPILEPTIC. ONE SOCIAL WORKER SAID I WOULD BE APPROVED WITH DOCTOR VERIFICATION , I GOT THAT AND COPAYS , wENT BACK IN AND A HISPANIC WORKER SAID I WAS DENIED. I WOULDN’T GO AS FAR AS THIS LADY DID , AND I FEEL BAD FOR HER CHILDREN. INSTEAD I GO TO THE FOOD PANTRY FOR ANY FOOD TO SURVIVE FOR NOW,.. I WILL PRAY FOR THOSE CHILDREN AND HOPE THEY GET COUNSELING ALSO.g. locke:

  10. No he is not crazy. nor a liar. The color of your skin and if you are an illegal determines if you are allowed assistance. don’t tell me I know- people I know personally -who were denied and worked all their lives and now in poor poor health and can not get approved.
    Others we know who are able to work getting a check for years each month. Bull!
    signed: angry and confused

  11. nice to know people still play the idiot card in this game we call humanity it’s not your race that pisses people off it’s your crappy worthless attitude that pisses people off maybe we should stop playing the race card every time and start looking at the whole of humanity as the problem

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