On June 14, Trenton Police Officer Jasmine Diab was transporting a prisoner, Jamey Aaron Griffin of Trenton, through Daviess County on U.S. 69. As Officer Diab drove into Winston around 3 p.m., Griffin was able to gain control of the officer’s firearm in a struggle which ensued inside the vehicle. Griffin discharged a shot, striking the officer in the abdomen. The vehicle then stopped in the parking lot of the Winston Pit Stop.
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Griffin attempted to flee the scene in the officer’s vehicle. He was detained by several citizen bystanders until he was taken into custody by responding officers. Witnesses said he attempted to run multiple times and the Highway Patrol confirmed that one bystander did have a firearm.
Emergency medical personnel responded to assist Officer Diab at the Winston Pit Stop. The officer was transported by LifeFlight medical helicopter to a Kansas City hospital, where she underwent two surgeries, one on Friday and one on Sunday. Officer Diab has now been upgraded from critical to stable condition.
Griffin was also treated at an area hospital after suffering a gunshot wound to his hand in the incident.
Griffin, 38, has been charged in Daviess County with assault first degree – serious physical injury or special victim, A felony; unlawful use of weapon – shoot at person – death or injury, A felony; and armed criminal action, unclassified felony. The charges were filed by Daviess County Prosecutor Annie Gibson, with Judge Daren L. Adkins assigned to the case. Bond was denied. He is being held in the Daviess-DeKalb Regional Jail.
Griffin has multiple convictions for drunk driving and assault among other charges as far back as 1998. He has been in and out of jail for various violations, including failure to pay child support, according to court records.
Officer Diab was transporting Griffin to St. Joseph for a 96-hour mental evaluation at Mosaic Life Care Medical Center. Highway Patrol Troop H Sgt. Jake Angle said the suspect was restrained for transport, so it’s unclear how he got free. The investigation is ongoing.
Hired by the Trenton Police Department in June 2017, Officer Diab is a student at North Central Missouri College in Trenton and the mother of a four-year-old daughter, Amira. She is from the Moberly area. Several fundraisers are underway to help raise funds for Officer Diab.
The Daviess County Sheriff’s Department has expressed appreciation for the community support which was shown throughout the incident. As the investigation unfolded, traffic was blocked off along U.S. 69 for several hours. The Trenton police cruiser the officer was driving was taken from the scene by a flatbed tow truck.
The bystanders who restrained Griffin are not being identified at this time, “but they are heroes,” said one Daviess County Deputy. “They deserve to be recognized.”