Friendship Police Chief Out of Hospital; Speaks About Shooting
This video is no longer available.
His patrol car is parked on his lawn. The man who helps keep Friendship safe will not be back to work for at least six weeks. He said he remembers exactly what happened the night of May 18. “It was amazing. I wasn’t scared. I wasn’t mad. I was just trying to do whatever I could to get him out of the store,” said Police Chief Bill Garrett of the Friendship Police Department. Investigators said Garrett and his wife were shopping for groceries when a man entered the store with a gun. “I was more worried about the little check out girl than my wife. I knew my wife could handle it as long as she didn’t get hurt, but that poor little check out girl she about had all she could handle,” said Garrett. Chief Garrett lives less than a mile from the Dollar General Store where he was shot. He spoke about the moment the trigger was pulled. “We wrestled for the gun, then he stepped back and shot me,” Garrett said. Craig Barbee has been charged with robbing and shooting Garrett. Barbee entered a plea of not guilty. Garrett told us Barbee is definitely the man who shot him. “I don’t think the man has a soul. I don’t think he cares about anything, anything except what he can take from people,” said Garrett. Garrett’s granddaughter, Catherine had many questions. “You don’t want a 7-year-old girl talking about her grandfather getting shot, but you need to talk her through it and just keeps going,” Garrett said. Garrett said he is not taking any pain medication, he just feels tired. He would like the man he said shot him to get plenty of prison time. “I would like to see him stay off the street for a really long time,” said Garrett. Chief Garrett said he could not begin to thank the Friendship community enough for helping his family.
