The incident occurred during what was meant to be a routine traffic stop in Dippach on the night of 4 to 5 June 2015. Grisius and her colleagues had pulled over a car with a broken light. While she was inspecting the vehicle, another car approached and was signalled to stop. Instead of complying, the driver veered right, crashing directly into the car being checked.
Grisius was pinned between the two vehicles and sustained critical injuries, dying shortly afterwards. She was 38 years old and had two daughters, aged 3 and 9 at the time.
The 36-year-old driver had a blood alcohol level of 1.2% and had consumed cannabis. It was not his first offence – he had previously received a 21-month suspended driving ban in May 2014 for drink driving.
The officer’s death prompted a wave of public reaction. Many expressed their condolences on social media by adding a ‘thin blue line’ to their profile pictures, a symbol of support for police officers and the dangers they face. A memorial march in Dippach several weeks later drew around 200 participants.
On 20 January 2016, the driver was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison, two of which were suspended. He was also fined €2,000 and banned from driving for 90 months.
Grisius was honoured posthumously in December 2015 when RTL readers named her Luxembourger of the Year. Her parents, Suzette and Willy Grisius, accepted the award on her behalf. The officer would have turned 39 the day before. She was also awarded the Croix d’Honneur et de Mérite militaire en argent on National Day 2015.
