Kriti Mehrotra
It was back when Antwan Gray was just a young boy growing up in Chinle, Arizona, that he first developed an interest in law enforcement, only for it to continue expanding as the years passed. Therefore, once he realized during his senior year he quickly needed to become quite stable as he’d gotten his then-girlfriend pregnant, he decided to give up his plans of pursuing collegiate basketball and returned to his original dream. Not once did he think of not being there for his partner Andrea or their to-be child because he genuinely cared; plus, he’d had his share of total instability and upset in his own childhood home.
“I knew some cops when I was a kid, and I thought they were cool,” Antwan revealed in HBO’s ‘Navajo Police: Class 57.’ “I always looked at them like they were brave. When I was growing up, I just remember there were a lot of fears. I’ve always been feared [afraid] of heights; I’ve always been feared of stuff like things in life. [It was because I saw] my dad — the way he used to be back then. He used to sell drugs. I used to see people come round the house that I never knew… My dad used to just smoke outside. He used to drink. My mom and dad always fought… My dad used to hit her a lot, and I was always just afraid.”
However, by the time mid-2020 rolled around, Antwan had grown to be inspired by his old man, especially as the latter had turned over a new leaf at the behest of his wife and was now a man of God. This aspiring cop thus knew innate change was possible, driving him to enroll in Navajo Police Training Academy and surround himself with the most capable so as to go from a scaredy cat to a fearless “lion.” Though little did he know he was arguably the best in this cadre while also being humble, kind, positive, and quirky, which is why even the Deputy permitted him a hug at their graduation ceremony.
Where is Antwan Gray Now?
If we’re being honest, Antwon’s motivation behind evolving into a police officer is possibly the reason he actually managed to be incredibly successful and graduate in a single year on June 26, 2022. After all, apart from consistently providing for his loved ones, he wants to make his indigenous community of Navajo Nation a better place: it’s this that enabled him to look beyond his own apprehensions. “I’m willing to put my life at risk even though I have a family to go help people…,” he said. “A lion. They fight, they never give up. I want to be that person because I know I could help people out there.”
Antwan knew very well that fear could get him killed, so that’s the primary thing he worked on not only in the academy but also during his initial few months out on the field under training/supervision. He was hence able to handle many situations with relative ease, including a case of strangers opening fire on a group of young children as they were just making their way through the area with horses. However, he did clarify that once matters settled and his adrenaline crashed, his hands often shook as the trauma of what he experiences daily while still having to keep smiling is unlike any other.
It thus comes as no surprise there was initially a brief period wherein Antwan used to take the anger from this trauma out on family members for no reason as he couldn’t find mental peace or quiet. Therefore, once his now-wife Andrea helped him notice a pattern, the Chinle, Arizona native immediately began working on it to fulfill all his goals without compromising on any aspect of his life. So now, from what we can tell, it appears as if the officer, husband, father, and son is proudly able to provide gas, electricity, and water at home, all the while doing his best to juggle everything. The trauma he has will most likely continue to endure by going on calls alone will probably never go away, but he does seem to be doing great keeping personal and professional separate these days.
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