He fought crime, saved many. But in life, this Charlotte officer faced a greater battle.
Jason Grier was a God-fearing man, loving father, son and brother and living his dream of being an officer with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
He also could make his older brother Calvin laugh at the silliest things.
“We shared a room until I went to the Marine Corps in 2001,” Calvin Grier told The Charlotte Observer on Sunday.
“We have a lot of memories. One that comes to mind is he had me laughing so hard (one day) just off of the word ‘tooth fist.’ We were young, and I don’t remember why I found it so funny. I just remember rolling on the floor laughing.”
Jason died early Sunday morning, on Father’s Day, after a health battle. He was 38.
“He was a strong Grier man, and he fought his fight (until) the very end,” said Calvin Grier, who wrote on Facebook that his bother was diagnosed in April. “We will truly miss him.”
Calvin said his brother was part of the Police Explorers Program at the former Zebulon B. Vance High School — it was renamed Julius L. Chambers in 2020 — and always dreamed of joining CMPD.
“It pains me to share this information on Father’s Day of all days,” CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings tweeted Sunday morning. “We lost a member of our family — Detective Jason Grier. Please join me in sharing our thoughts and prayers with his family during this difficult time. We will share funeral arrangements soon.”
Jennings said Grier began his CMPD career in October 2002 and was recently assigned to the Anti-Crime Unit.
“He was a good man”
When Calvin posted news of his brother’s death on social media Sunday morning, tributes and condolences poured in. Many offered prayers for his family — he had a wife and two children.
Others described Jason as sweet, welcoming and always having a smile on his face.
“He was a good man,” Markayle D’angelo wrote. “May his legacy live on forever.”
In 2015 when he was a Westover Division Officer, Jason Grier was named one of CMPD’s officers of the month. He was praised for his strong ties to the West Boulevard corridor and working knowledge of offenders in the area.
“Officer Grier has a tremendous work ethic and a knack for tracking down suspects,” the nomination on Facebook read. “He is relentless in the pursuit of public safety. Not only is Officer Grier effective in crime fighting, he maintains a high level of engagement in the community.”
During his career, Jason Grier volunteered in a reading program, where he served as mentor. In 2015, he noticed a young girl in the program was in desperate need of new shoes.
“Without hesitation and at his own expense, he obtained a gift card for a local shoe store and worked with the staff to present the gift card as a reward for progress in the reading program,” the officer of the month nomination read.
Celebrate him
Jason Grier was one of five children, and the siblings grew up in Charlotte. Along with Calvin, he had a younger sister and brother. Another younger brother, Demitri Allison, died in 2017.
“This one stings,” Calvin wrote on Facebook, “but God doesn’t make mistakes. He was a God-fearing, powerful man and he would want everyone to celebrate his life not mourn him.”
Calvin also posted a Father’s Day tribute to his brother: “Happy Father’s Day to all of the wonderful fathers especially my brother Jay Gee, you are the father we all (aspire) to be.”
This story was originally published June 18, 2023 at 3:10 PM.
