SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A 31-year-old football coach was killed in a downtown Sacramento shooting early Monday morning.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said Gregory Grimes was killed in the L Street shooting as people were leaving a nightclub. The shooting happened just before 2 a.m. in the 1500-block of L Street.
"It’s just senseless, you know? This stuff has got to stop, Sacramento. It’s just, I’m at a loss for words right now,” said Tate Snelling, a friend of Grimes.
A memorial on 16th and K Street was adorned with balloons, candles and photos to honor the memory of the Inderkum High School assistant coach. The Natomas Unified School District confirmed Grimes was a staff member at the school -- the very same one he graduated from in 2008.
Snelling said he spoke with Grimes Sunday morning, making plans for the Fourth of July. He was supposed to see him.
"It honestly just hits home because I just talked to him yesterday, yesterday morning,” said Snelling.
He said Grimes was a supportive person; helping with toy drives and feeding the homeless with Giving Back with Purpose, a nonprofit group.
"He always wanted to help the kids out, give back to his community,” said Snelling.
It's a sentiment echoed by his former and fellow Inderkum High School football coach Terrance Leonard.
“Greg was a great role model for them. He was the person that could tell them how it was to play the game and how to be a leader,” said Leonard.
Leonard said Grimes was a leader on and off the field for both his son and for his family. He started coaching football at Inderkum High School in 2017.
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