Investigator Kenneth James McDonald

I am proud to have known personally and worked professionally with Madison County Sheriff's Investigator Ken McDonald. The night before Ken and myself met at Ken's rental property in Huntsville because I was going to rent a garage apartment in the rear of one of his properties. We later sat in front of the home and drank a beer reflecting on our young careers in law enforcement. The next day, we both were working at the bus station in Huntsville on a stake out when a call for help rang out over the police radio concerning two fellow Madison County Deputies under fire in the north part of the county. I was riding with Lt. Bob Eddy and working with Ken and the rest of the Intelligence Unit when we responded to the call. Upon arrival there was a host of law enforcement officers present from various agencies from across Madison County. The suspect residence was searched with a K-9 unit with negative results and after that the search for the suspect became somewhat disorganized. Shortly after that several shots rang out from the rear of the suspect residence and I ran back to the rear only to find Investigator McDonald had been wounded. Investigator Ken McDonald later passed away from injuries sustained during the confrontation with the shooting suspect. Although I only knew Ken a short time, he was a good friend and was willing to help me in my early law enforcement career. As a result of this tragic event, both the Madison County Sheriff's Department and Huntsville Police Department created S.W.A.T. teams of which I proudly served on the county unit. I was very fortunate to have known Ken and his influence on me back then helped me tremendously. My sincere condolences to Ken McDonald's family and friends.

Special Agent (Retired) Roger L. Grubb
U.S. Customs Service and Dept. of Homeland Security

July 15, 2020