In the early morning hours of the Fourth of July in 2021, a party on Hazel Street in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, turned tragic, ending the life of 28-year-old Calvin Buckner. Just before 4 a.m., amidst the holiday festivities, an argument broke out. The dispute involved Buckner and the girlfriend of another man at the party, 39-year-old Leon Grimes. When Grimes intervened, the confrontation escalated with fatal consequences.
Grimes allegedly shot Buckner in the chest.
Emergency services were called to the 2000 block of Hazel Street, and Buckner was rushed by ambulance to Jennie Stuart Medical Center. Despite the efforts of medical staff, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. As police began their investigation, the road was blocked for several hours while they collected evidence from the scene. They found that Buckner had a handgun, but it was still in its holster when officers arrived to render aid.
Immediately following the shooting, the Hopkinsville Police Department identified Leon Grimes as a person of interest and asked for the public's help in locating him. A few days later, on July 8th, Grimes was arrested and charged with murder. During a preliminary hearing, a police detective testified that witnesses had identified Grimes as the shooter. While Grimes admitted to intervening in the argument, he denied killing Buckner. The case was eventually bound over to a Christian County grand jury, which indicted Grimes on a murder charge in September 2021.
After a series of legal proceedings, Leon Grimes ultimately pleaded guilty to an amended charge. In September 2023, he was sentenced for the fatal shooting of Calvin Buckner. Grimes received a 10-year sentence for second-degree manslaughter and an additional 5-year sentence for possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. The sentences were ordered to be served consecutively, resulting in a total of 15 years in prison. During the sentencing, the court heard a victim impact statement from Buckner's mother, which highlighted the profound loss her family endured.
