Funeral services were held today for a Banks County postal worker who was shot and killed on the job.
59-year-old Asa Julius Wood, Jr., of Commerce, died Saturday, August 7 while delivering mail on his rural route. Investigators charged Larry Steven Grogan of Danielsville with his murder. Grogan is also accused of shooting at Banks County deputies who attempted to stop him hours after the fatal shooting.
Wood had worked for the post office for 28 years. In his obituary, his family remembers him as a joyful soul who “loved the Lord and everyone he met.”
A community mourns
The shooting happened on Hebron Road in Commerce, just two miles south of Hebron Presbyterian Church. Rick Billingslea is the pastor there. He says the shooting hit close to home.
“Junior was our mail carrier for years. He was dedicated and took care of some of our old folks. Several he delivered to the house so they wouldn’t have to walk to the road,” Billingslea tells Now Habersham.
After Wood’s murder, the church held a community prayer meeting. About a dozen people attended, including several current and former postal employees and a member of Wood’s family.
According to Billingslea, on the day he was murdered, Wood was filling in for another postal worker who had to go to the hospital. Normally, he would have been off from work.
A ‘known troublemaker’
Those familiar with Grogan describe him as a “known troublemaker” who frequently posted to a Banks County social media page. He also released hundreds of YouTube videos over the years. In his last video posted on August 5, Grogan claimed he was being “microwaved to death by cell towers” and said he suffered from “electromagnetic torture and ultrasound.”
In the rambling 56-second video, Grogan also claimed Banks County police officers threatened to murder him.
Investigators say when deputies tried to apprehend Grogan after Wood’s murder, he shot at them with a rifle. The deputies returned fire, wounding Grogan. He suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was hospitalized. Neither deputy was injured.
Grogan was released from the hospital on Wednesday, August 11, and booked into the Banks County jail.
The GBI and U.S. Postal Inspectors Office are working with the Banks County Sheriff’s Office on the investigation. They have not released a motive in the slaying.
Wood is survived by his wife of 41 years, Wanda Faye Prickett Wood, and their two daughters.
