An armed 53-year-old woman who died in a shootout with Palm Bay Police at her home was fatally wounded by an officer, investigators confirmed a day after a three-hour standoff ended.
A day later, the home sat quiet, still draped in crime scene tape and with a hole knocked into the front door.
The woman, identified as Kamla Grimmer, lived in the 800 block of Serenade Street. The residential neighborhood sits along a major east-west canal on Jupiter Boulevard.
No officers or other residents were injured.
“We always pray for the best outcome where no life is lost,” Palm Bay Police Chief Mario Augello said in a statement issued Tuesday, March 24.
“Our officers attempted every scenario possible to avoid a loss of life and showed great restraint during this incident. Unfortunately, after their lives, as well as those in our community were placed in immediate threat of deadly force by active gunfire, they were left with no other option but to return fire.”
The deceased’s former husband, who was divorced from Grimmer in 2023, told FLORIDA TODAY that his ex-wife had grown unstable over the years.
“I was married to her for 16 years. She just got worse and worse over the years,” said Jody Grimmer of his former wife.
He also said that Grimmer had joined the Marines and spent several weeks in training before dropping out.
“She was there for only a few weeks,” he said, adding that the couple did not have any children.
Standoff starts to unfold soon after 9-1-1 call
The deadly incident unfolded about 2:58 p.m. with the first call to 9-1-1, a resident calling about loud music in the area. Officers arrived just after 4 p.m. and made several announcements over the public address system.
By 4:17 p.m., police said, Grimmer began shooting from the back of her one-story home as officers sought cover.
Police then issued a Code Red reverse 9-11 call advising residents in the area to shelter indoors as officers blocked off several residential streets. A crisis negotiations team contacted Grimmer. By 4:43 p.m., she opened the front door of her home and fired several shots from an unknown-caliber handgun before retreating inside, police reported. Officers at the scene did not return fire, police reported.
Jody Grimmer said that Kamla Grimmer had owned one gun when they separated, a Smith and Wesson revolver. Police did not confirm what type of weapon was found at the scene.
The SWAT team, with tactical shooters, armored tank and drone, began to arrive at about 5:13 p.m. They perched on the north side of the canal with a vantage point looking directly into Grimmer’s home as she stood concealed in the doorway, police reported. Some residents along the canal snapped pictures and walked their dogs in one neighborhood that was not blocked off as a Brevard County sheriff’s helicopter circled overhead.
At 6:09 p.m., Grimmer took aim again, opening fire in the direction of SWAT team members, police said. She quickly moved back into the home but it was unclear if she had been injured, police reported.
Some 15 minutes later the SWAT team launched tear gas into the home with crisis negotiators staying in contact with Grimmer. Another volley of tear gas was deployed into the home at 6:53 p.m. Fire alarms could be heard ringing out as officers continued to wait Grimmer out.
But by 7:08 p.m., Grimmer fired off at least one round toward the SWAT team, with the tactical officers firing at least twice. A small drone flew into the home and found Grimmer unresponsive. Grimmer was pronounced dead at the scene by medics.
Investigators confirmed that Grimmer was shot by officers and that the wound was not self-inflicted. Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement were called to investigate as is routine in officer-related shootings.
It was the first fatal officer-related shooting in Brevard County since Jan. 1.
An investigation is ongoing.
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641, jgallop@floridatoday.com or X, formerly known as Twitter: @JDGallop.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Police: Armed woman died by return fire in shootout with Palm Bay officers
Reporting by J.D. Gallop, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
