SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A heroic Indiana mother who stepped between an armed robber and her son during a simple watch sale at their family home was shot in the head in cold blood as she fled back toward safety.
Jean Gragg, 40, died Saturday, June 13, three days after the brazen June 10 ambush that left her fighting for life.
Surveillance video captured the nightmare: 18-year-old John Harrison Ford allegedly pulled a gun during the Facebook Marketplace deal, snarled “I need it,” and tried to rip the watch from her son’s hands right there on their MacArthur Avenue property.
Gragg, a protective mom doing what any parent would, jumped in front of the gunman and chased the punk off her land.
Then the coward turned and opened fire, firing multiple shots at the retreating mother. One bullet slammed into her head.
Ford ditched the gun over a fence and bolted, cops say. He was later nabbed at a South Bend apartment complex. During questioning, he admitted to pulling the trigger, according to authorities.
His charges were swiftly upgraded from attempted murder to full murder, felony murder, attempted murder, and attempted armed robbery after Gragg succumbed to her wounds. He also faces a firearm enhancement.
Neighbors and online commentators are furious, blasting the dangers of inviting strangers to your doorstep for online sales. Many are urging families: Meet in public, preferably at a police station, and never let them onto your property.
Gragg’s devastated family launched a GoFundMe for funeral expenses. The heartbreaking killing has sparked fresh outrage over violent crime and calls for the death penalty in cases like this.
A mother’s love ended in tragedy over a damn watch.
