By PAUL J. WEBER | AP
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A Texas woman who for months was unable to qualify for food stamps pulled a gun in a state welfare office and staged a seven-hour standoff with police that ended with her shooting her two children before killing herself, officials said Tuesday.
The children, a 10-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, remained in critical condition Tuesday. The shooting took place at a Texas Department of Health and Human Services building in Laredo, where police said about 25 people were inside at the time.
Authorities identified the mother as Rachelle Grimmer, 38, and children Ramie and Timothy.
Grimmer first applied for food stamps in July but was denied because she didn’t turn in enough information, Texas Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Stephanie Goodmansaid.
Goodman didn’t know what Grimmer specifically failed to provide. In addition to completing an 18-page application, families seeking state benefits also must provide documents proving their information, such as proof of employment and residency.
“We were still waiting, and if we had that, I don’t know if she would still qualify or not,” Goodman said.
Goodman said Grimmer’s last contact with the agency appeared to be a phone call in mid-November. When the family entered the Laredo office on Monday shortly before 5 p.m., Goodman said Grimmer asked to speak to a new caseworker, and not the one whom she worked with previously.
Shortly thereafter, Goodman said, Grimmer was taken to a private room to discuss her case. She said it was there the mother revealed a gun and the standoff began.
Police negotiators stayed on the phone with Grimmer throughout the evening, but she kept hanging up, Baeza said. She allegedly told negotiators about a litany of complaints against state and federal government agencies.
Despite those complaints, Baeza said it wasn’t clear what specifically triggered the standoff.
“This wasn’t like a knee-jerk reaction,” said Baeza, adding that Grimmer felt she was owed restitution of some sort.
Grimmer let a supervisor go unharmed around 7:45, but stayed inside the office with her children. After hanging up the phone around 11:45, police heard three shots, and police entered the building. Inside, they found Grimmer’s body and her two wounded children.
The children were “very critical” and unconscious when taken from the scene, Baeza said.
Goodman credited an office supervisor, a 24-year veteran of the agency, for ensuring the release of the other employees.
“He had told her he would try to help her, and that if she would let everyone else leave, he would talk to her,” Goodman said.
Goodman didn’t know whether Grimmer had a job, or whether her children were covered under Medicaid welfare services or the state children’s health insurance program. The family had no history with the Texas Department of Child Protective Services.
Grimmer also appeared to fall out of touch during her pursuit of food stamps. The mother originally applied July 7, but Goodman said Grimmer missed her first interview and didn’t call back and reschedule for a few weeks. Her case was closed Aug. 8 for lack of a full application, Goodman said.
How much food stamp money a family receives depends on their income level. The average family on food stamps in Texas receives $294 a month.
Three months later, Grimmer called the agency’s ombudsman Nov. 16 and requested a review of how her rejected case was handled. Goodman said the agency found that caseworkers acted appropriately after looking over Grimmer’s file, and a supervisor called Grimmer’s cell phone last Thursday to tell her the outcome. No one answered and the phone’s voicemail box was full, Goodman said.
“The indications she had she was dealing with a lot of issues,” Goodman said.
State welfare offices have come under scrutiny in the past for being overburdened, but Goodman said the agency has made significant strides in the past three years. She said wait times are shorter, and that Grimmer was scheduled for her initial interview just one day after applying. Grimmer didn’t make the appointment, she said.
Goodman said it’s not unusual for caseworkers to confront angry or confused benefit-seekers, but that it’s very rare for a situation to escalate to violence.
maboulette
This doesn’t bother you that this woman was so desperate for a hand out from the government that she shot herself and her children? Who is the slave here? How pathetic that we have come to the point that our very existence, the ability to feed our children now depends on a hand out from the government. What have we become? You want more of this? What is wrong with people being resonsible for themselves?
By: Steve on December 7, 2011
at 10:12 AM
The lady was mentally ill – so she probably had no idea what she was going – You have been a bit rough on me with your comments today!
By: maboulette on December 9, 2011
at 6:25 AM
I had a very bad experiece with trying to acquire Food Stamps to feed my two sons, age 9 and 11. I had filed for divorce after 16 years of marriage, working and paying my taxes and enjoying the gift of living in a free country that allowed us to make our on choices. I had no income, ex was no where to be found and I was in a position that I had to apply for govt. assistance for the first time. I tried over & over to get my application approved & the DHHR refused my children food because I was driving a car that was in my ex husbands name and was 4 months in arrears. The only reason his car wasnt repossessed was the dealership where purchased was in another state & paperwork was taking longer. After almost three months of aniexity & tears begging DHHR to assist me to feed my sons (mothers will do almost anything to protect & feed their children,sir, anything) I drove my car up to the DHHR office, handing them the keys, I called dearlership & gave them the location to get the car bring paperwork for release. I told the lady handling my case that I had fed my sons the last two pieces of bread & peanut butter in our home, I knew my rights as I was an out of work legal assistant that I knew where she lived and if she couldn’t expedite emergency Stamps (paper stamps were issued then) to fed my sons that she would be sitting two more places at her dinner table that night because my two sons were coming to dinner. She picked up phone, called the issueing office to wait & not close there was someone coming for an emergency issuance of Food Stamps. She then pulled an Emergency Issue Card out of her desk started typing in the correct information, took to back of office for a signature , handed it to me * then told me to HAVE A NICE DAY!!! I also drove off in my CAR!! Not knowing if I was going to be arrested or not I had to take desparate measures to insure that someone was going to feed my sons. I dont know this mothers situation * mental state or anything to make her kill herself and try to kill her children but we can all pray for the mothers * fathers that no one would ever be put in this position again and pray the children. I believe this – OUR CHILDREN – OUR FUTURE. Thank you for allowing us to express our right of FREEDOM of SPEACH Sir.
By: Teresa Boothe Burnette on December 10, 2011
at 6:57 AM
Oh for the love of pete. This is about a mentally ill woman. This is not about HAND OUTS.
You so disgust me.
By: lily on December 9, 2011
at 2:48 AM
Why do I disgust you? No where did it say this was bout hand outs. I already got chewed out by one person because this lady didn’t get her “handout” and now your comments – please explain. Thanks you!
By: maboulette on December 9, 2011
at 6:20 AM
It’s not a handout when your children are so hungry . It is embarrassing to a lot of people to be on foodstamps and it is hard to get them . Maybe you should research all the starving children right here in the US . Not everyone can get a job and its hard to watch your kids go without .obviously you have never been in a dire situation taking care if little ones that can’t take of themselves .
By: Jane on February 8, 2013
at 7:46 AM