"What he did was lawful." Police defense fund upset by Grundy Co. conviction of deputy

The Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund is disappointed with Thursday’s conviction of Mike Holmes. He was a former deputy in Grundy County.

The LELDF is a national organization that protects officers, who they believe, are wrongfully charged.

"We look for cases where evidence suggests what the officer did was lawful. We think that, and still think that, of Deputy Mike Holmes," said Jason Johnson, LELDF President.

Johnson, believes Holmes was wrongfully convicted in a 2017 incident.

A jury found former deputy Holmes guilty of negligent homicide. They found him not guilty of reckless homicide, which was the more serious felony charge he faced.

Holmes shot into a car after the driver, Jacky Wayne Bean, led him on a chase in 2017. 20-year-old Shelby Comer was a passenger in that car.

Holmes testified he shot at the bar after Bean revealed a gun on the dashboard. Holmes testified he shot at the car as Bean drove past him as well as firing at the back of the Mustang as Bean drove away.

The jury decided Holmes’ gunshot killed Comer. The forensic pathologist testified Comer was hit by a bullet in the left back and that gunshot wound was her cause of death.

Johnson says they only take on about five cases at a time. He says they supported Holmes because of the strong evidence he feared for his life. Johnson mentioned Bean’s gun and Holmes being alone.

LELDF fears the jury may have compromised on the lesser charge of negligent homicide after Judge Thomas Graham told them to keep deliberating after they couldn’t come to an agreement. They agreed on a verdict about an hour after they originally told the judge they were hung.

“Law enforcement officers take an oath to protect the public. I think that’s what Deputy Holmes was doing,” said Johnson. “If the same incident would have happened next week or next month, a reasonable officer would conduct themselves in roughly the same way.”

We did reach out to Comer’s family today. One family member says they’re physically and emotionally drained from the trial.

Holmes’ attorneys say they’re still trying to figure out if they will appeal the jury’s conviction.