NEW HAVEN, MO - Every police officer who dons their uniform and prepares for a tour of duty knows in the back of their mind that there is a real chance they could get into a gunfight.
But the thought doesn't last too long as they know the chance of that happening is low.
But it is not zero.
For the thousands of officers who need to discharge their weapons every year comes an outcome with serious consequences.
At best, the threat is stopped, and no civilian or officer injuries occur. At worst, serious injuries or deaths occur to the law enforcement officers involved.
It's a tragedy that happens too often and is a fact of life for cops.
The latter happened to Officer Adam Sullentrup and his partner, Sergeant Mason Griffith.
The Tragedy
On March 12th, 2023, Sgt. Griffith and Ofc. Sullentrup responded to a disturbance call at a local gas station.
As they attempted to arrest a suspect wanted for outstanding warrants, the suspect resisted and shot both officers and fled the scene.
Both officers were immediately rushed to the hospital, but Sgt. Griffith was pronounced dead, and Ofc. Sullentrup, who was shot in the head, barely survived after a long bout in critical condition.
The tragedy shook the community.
Sgt. Griffith was buried with full honors, and Ofc. Sullentrup spent the next two years dealing with seemingly unending surgeries, grueling physical therapy, and was left with permanent motor and cognitive disabilities. His permanent injuries were so severe that the Gary Sinise Foundation stepped in and built a custom home to accommodate his physical disabilities.
Through it all, Sullentrup battled the emotional and mental scarring that often comes with physical trauma.
And that was extremely difficult.
He spent countless days reliving the horrors of that evening. On top of all the physical and mental trauma, he had lost his entire career and professional identity in an instant, coupled with not knowing what the rest of his life was going to look like.
That is enough to drive a weak man insane.
But Sullentrup is no weak man. He is overcoming it all with his wife by his side and his chief as his mentor.
A Big-Hearted Chief
Sullentrup was relatively new to the New Haven Police Department. But it was more than enough time for the community and his leadership to recognize his work ethic, positive attitude, and incredible energy.
After the shooting tragedy, Chief Neace regularly checked in on Sullentrup and his family and eventually decided he wanted to find a way to bring him back. He knew Sullentrup was too gifted to simply let go.
"Whenever I met with him [during recovery], if he wanted to come aboard, I said, 'You know I can't make you a police officer again, unfortunately, that was taken from you by this coward. However, I can make it as close as possible. We can make you part of the team,’" Chief Neace told LET in an exclusive interview.
The chief knew the department and the community missed him and would have welcomed him back with open arms.
"A lot of people haven't even seen him since before the incident, so it's just a way of him to get back out in the community. When he was here, he loved going to the schools, he loved going into the nursing home, he loved going into the gas stations and just talking with people," Chief Neace said.
The chief also knew that Sullentrup was never going to be the same after the shooting; the injuries were just too severe, and his motor and cognitive skills would be permanently affected. He knew that it must have had a major impact on his mental health and needed to find a solution to help Sullentrup.
"If I were shot, I wouldn't want to be just sitting on my couch, you know, replaying the events that transpired, whatever I may or may not remember. I wanted him to be a part of the team again,” he said.
Like most tragic incidents, it hits the newswire right away and lasts for some time, usually days, even weeks, but eventually is forgotten once the next newsworthy incident occurs.
But Chief Neace didn’t want their memories to fade.
“I don't want Mason (Griffith) forgotten about, and I don't want Adam (Sullentrup) forgotten about it, and that's why we just constantly are talking about them. We don't want either one to be forgotten. And so many times that initial shock is like, ‘Ohh my gosh, I can't believe this happened.’ But then, as the days and months go by, they're totally forgotten about, and we don't want that to happen,” the chief said.
Chief Neace settled on an idea to have Sullentrup return to the force in uniform as the Public Relations Specialist - a perfect fit.
“When I talked to him in November of 2024, asking him if he wanted to come aboard in January 2025 when I took over as the public relations specialist, the only word he could say was ‘yes!’” The chief added.
Since accepting the position, Chief Neace and Sullentrup have gone on numerous calls for public relations activities, and in each case, it was a hit.
“We've gone to different events throughout town together. On Valentine's Day, I went and took him to the nursing home, and we handed out Valentine's to all the older ladies. It’s events like that that just bring a smile to his face, and he enjoys doing that, and it gets him out of the house, he gives them a purpose,” an emotional Chief said.
He continued, “I didn’t want him just sitting around the house, dwelling on sadness about what happened and thinking, ‘Oh man, I'm shot in the head, and I'm disabled, I can't really speak.’ We get him out, and we give him purpose, and that's ultimately our goal.”
Since his appointment as Public Relations Specialist, Sullentrup has significantly improved in several areas: communication, motor skills, and his attitude is at an all-time high since that fateful night at the gas station.
“It means the world to me. I get to go do a police talk still. Working helps me speak.
Being involved with a police department makes me feel awesome and proud,” Sullentrup told LET.
The dramatic positive change can be seen at home, and no one knows more about a person than the spouse. His wife, Michelle, took a moment to speak to LET. She said, “The new role Adam has at the police department has been very encouraging. I wouldn’t say it has changed the family dynamic, as I still have to be present or readily available to him when Adam is ‘working’ in his new role. I am still his caregiver 24/7.”
She continued, “Going to the New Haven Police Department to participate in public relations has helped Adam with social skills. I think it also gives him a sense of purpose, or a feeling that he has a role outside of home still. He’s always happy and excited to go to police events with his department.”
We hope he continues to do public events. The world could use more outstanding positive people like Chief Neace and Public Relations Specialist Sullentrup.
-----------------------------------
Writer Eddie Molina is a veteran and has over 25 years of combined LEO/military service. He owns and operates the LEO apparel and accessory company www.BuyHeroStuff.com
But the thought doesn't last too long as they know the chance of that happening is low.
But it is not zero.
For the thousands of officers who need to discharge their weapons every year comes an outcome with serious consequences.
At best, the threat is stopped, and no civilian or officer injuries occur. At worst, serious injuries or deaths occur to the law enforcement officers involved.
It's a tragedy that happens too often and is a fact of life for cops.
The latter happened to Officer Adam Sullentrup and his partner, Sergeant Mason Griffith.
The Tragedy
On March 12th, 2023, Sgt. Griffith and Ofc. Sullentrup responded to a disturbance call at a local gas station.
As they attempted to arrest a suspect wanted for outstanding warrants, the suspect resisted and shot both officers and fled the scene.
Both officers were immediately rushed to the hospital, but Sgt. Griffith was pronounced dead, and Ofc. Sullentrup, who was shot in the head, barely survived after a long bout in critical condition.
The tragedy shook the community.
Sgt. Griffith was buried with full honors, and Ofc. Sullentrup spent the next two years dealing with seemingly unending surgeries, grueling physical therapy, and was left with permanent motor and cognitive disabilities. His permanent injuries were so severe that the Gary Sinise Foundation stepped in and built a custom home to accommodate his physical disabilities.
Through it all, Sullentrup battled the emotional and mental scarring that often comes with physical trauma.
And that was extremely difficult.
He spent countless days reliving the horrors of that evening. On top of all the physical and mental trauma, he had lost his entire career and professional identity in an instant, coupled with not knowing what the rest of his life was going to look like.
That is enough to drive a weak man insane.
But Sullentrup is no weak man. He is overcoming it all with his wife by his side and his chief as his mentor.
A Big-Hearted Chief
Sullentrup was relatively new to the New Haven Police Department. But it was more than enough time for the community and his leadership to recognize his work ethic, positive attitude, and incredible energy.
After the shooting tragedy, Chief Neace regularly checked in on Sullentrup and his family and eventually decided he wanted to find a way to bring him back. He knew Sullentrup was too gifted to simply let go.
"Whenever I met with him [during recovery], if he wanted to come aboard, I said, 'You know I can't make you a police officer again, unfortunately, that was taken from you by this coward. However, I can make it as close as possible. We can make you part of the team,’" Chief Neace told LET in an exclusive interview.
The chief knew the department and the community missed him and would have welcomed him back with open arms.
"A lot of people haven't even seen him since before the incident, so it's just a way of him to get back out in the community. When he was here, he loved going to the schools, he loved going into the nursing home, he loved going into the gas stations and just talking with people," Chief Neace said.
The chief also knew that Sullentrup was never going to be the same after the shooting; the injuries were just too severe, and his motor and cognitive skills would be permanently affected. He knew that it must have had a major impact on his mental health and needed to find a solution to help Sullentrup.
"If I were shot, I wouldn't want to be just sitting on my couch, you know, replaying the events that transpired, whatever I may or may not remember. I wanted him to be a part of the team again,” he said.
Like most tragic incidents, it hits the newswire right away and lasts for some time, usually days, even weeks, but eventually is forgotten once the next newsworthy incident occurs.
But Chief Neace didn’t want their memories to fade.
“I don't want Mason (Griffith) forgotten about, and I don't want Adam (Sullentrup) forgotten about it, and that's why we just constantly are talking about them. We don't want either one to be forgotten. And so many times that initial shock is like, ‘Ohh my gosh, I can't believe this happened.’ But then, as the days and months go by, they're totally forgotten about, and we don't want that to happen,” the chief said.
Chief Neace settled on an idea to have Sullentrup return to the force in uniform as the Public Relations Specialist - a perfect fit.
“When I talked to him in November of 2024, asking him if he wanted to come aboard in January 2025 when I took over as the public relations specialist, the only word he could say was ‘yes!’” The chief added.
Since accepting the position, Chief Neace and Sullentrup have gone on numerous calls for public relations activities, and in each case, it was a hit.
“We've gone to different events throughout town together. On Valentine's Day, I went and took him to the nursing home, and we handed out Valentine's to all the older ladies. It’s events like that that just bring a smile to his face, and he enjoys doing that, and it gets him out of the house, he gives them a purpose,” an emotional Chief said.
He continued, “I didn’t want him just sitting around the house, dwelling on sadness about what happened and thinking, ‘Oh man, I'm shot in the head, and I'm disabled, I can't really speak.’ We get him out, and we give him purpose, and that's ultimately our goal.”
Since his appointment as Public Relations Specialist, Sullentrup has significantly improved in several areas: communication, motor skills, and his attitude is at an all-time high since that fateful night at the gas station.
“It means the world to me. I get to go do a police talk still. Working helps me speak.
Being involved with a police department makes me feel awesome and proud,” Sullentrup told LET.
The dramatic positive change can be seen at home, and no one knows more about a person than the spouse. His wife, Michelle, took a moment to speak to LET. She said, “The new role Adam has at the police department has been very encouraging. I wouldn’t say it has changed the family dynamic, as I still have to be present or readily available to him when Adam is ‘working’ in his new role. I am still his caregiver 24/7.”
She continued, “Going to the New Haven Police Department to participate in public relations has helped Adam with social skills. I think it also gives him a sense of purpose, or a feeling that he has a role outside of home still. He’s always happy and excited to go to police events with his department.”
We hope he continues to do public events. The world could use more outstanding positive people like Chief Neace and Public Relations Specialist Sullentrup.
-----------------------------------
Writer Eddie Molina is a veteran and has over 25 years of combined LEO/military service. He owns and operates the LEO apparel and accessory company www.BuyHeroStuff.com
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The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
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