Adam Sullentrup

Adam grew up in Washington, MO where he enjoyed fishing, hiking and being in the great outdoors. After high school, Adam attended a semester at East Central College, but school wasn’t his favorite thing. He was looking for something that combined his love for physical activity and social interaction, so he attended the police academy. His wife, Michelle, says, “Adam joined the police force to help people and always said he loved working for a small community because he would get to know people.”

After serving for nearly 7 years with the New Haven police department, Adam applied to the Hermann police department where he knew Mason Griffith, who became his training officer. The two had only worked together for three months when they were sent out on the night of March 12, 2023 to arrest an individual with active warrants. As they approached, the suspect opened fire on the officers and fled the scene to a nearby home leading to a 14-hour standoff. Mason died due to his injuries and Adam’s suffered a severe head injury. He was flown to Craig Hospital in Colorado, where he endured several difficult surgeries, including a cranioplasty, craniotomy, and skin graphs. He has battled two serious infections, and still has a final cranioplasty and another skin graft to go. In all, Adam has undergone over 8 months of intensive rehabilitation and recovery.

Adam has returned home from Colorado and has outpatient therapy 5 days a week for 5 hours each day which will continue until his upcoming surgeries. His wife tells us, “After his surgery will he require more rehab, but we are unsure what that will entail at this time.” The couple is grateful to be home, saying, “I think Adam and I both have better mental health being comfortable in our own home, being with our pets, family and friends in a community that we love.”

Today, Adam has trouble speaking and communicating. “As Adam’s wife, I’m sure he wants to have his independence back but we don’t know how much he will recover. When Adam was injured, we were talking about starting a family but it’s hard to say what our future is going to look like now. I know we do need a more accessible home to help Adam be independent in the safest way possible. As a caregiver, knowing Adam can move around freely in the home or do things safely is a huge burden that would be lifted. There’s a lot of emotions with such an injury, both good and bad that will come each and every day, and it’s ok to feel defeated. Tomorrow is a new day.”

The Gary Sinise Foundation looks forward to building Adam an accessible home where he and his wife can feel safe as they navigate his continued healing and recovery.