HERMANN, Mo. — Several charges, including first-degree murder, were filed on Tuesday against a man accused of shooting two Hermann police officers.
Detective Sgt. Mason Griffith died in the shooting on Sunday, March 12, and Officer Adam Sullentrup is still in critical condition.
After a 16-hour standoff, Kenneth Lee Simpson was arrested wearing Griffith's handcuffs.
Days later, support continues to come in for the families of the officers and it's growing well outside of Hermann city limits.
If you walk inside Marquarts Landing in Washington, Missouri, you may notice a new addition to the bar.
Owner Rick Marquart said Griffith's friend and a fellow officer, Nathan Pinter, wanted to toast to Griffith all night, so Marquart decided to put up a fundraiser.
"Anyone can come down, have a shot, toast a great officer. One that will be missed," Marquart said.
A framed picture of Griffith now sits on the wooden countertop with a cold one next to it. Buy Mason a drink and all the proceeds will go to the family.
Pinter described Griffith as "one of those rare gems" that everybody loved.
"I could think of no better way to toast a good man than to have a beverage, whether it's an AB or a glass of tea. Just toast a man, tell some good stories and remember him," he said.
Pinter said Griffith, a long-time officer, was someone you could always count on.
"I guarantee you that the people he's arrested probably had nothing bad to say about him. He was just a wonderful human being," he said.
Marquart said in the first couple of hours the bar had already raised $300 for Griffith's family, and they plan to keep the fundraiser up for a while.
"It just shows our community and how we support people in a time of need. I was amazed because we started it pretty late and to get that turnout. We’d like to raise $2,000, so we are going to keep that going," he said.
Pinter said it's evident everyone sees the sacrifice law enforcement makes daily and they want to support the families.
"Just keep the families of the officers in your prayers and support your first responders. You don’t get a lot of it much and it always feels good when somebody says thank you and be safe out there," he said.
The support doesn't stop at the Franklin County line though.
The Backstoppers, a nonprofit that helps families of first responders who die in the line of duty or get critically injured, is stepping in to help both Griffith and Sullentrup's families, according to Executive Director Chief Ron Battelle.
"Both officers' families received a $10,000 check each from us to use during these trying times," he said.
The help doesn't stop there though, according to Battelle, they'll continue to support Griffith's family for life.
"Our goal at that time is to make them debt free. We pay the mortgage, we pay the medical health insurance, we pay for education for the kids, I always say, from daycare to college. That's what we do," he said.
While the wall in the Backstoppers office shows names of every first responder's family Backstoppers has helped, Battelle said, it never gets easier.
"Each one is different, and the circumstances are different. Whatever the family needs, we'll give it to them," he said.
The City of Hermann is asking people to drop off donations for both officers' families at any of the 11 Peoples Savings Banks across the state.
There's also a GoFundMe link set up for Griffith's family that you can donate here.
You can also donate straight to Backstoppers funds set up for both Griffith and Sullentrup's families here.