Who was Jean Gragg? Indiana mom, 40, shot dead while protecting son during Facebook Marketplace transaction
An 18-year-old has been charged with murder after an Indiana woman died from injuries she suffered when he allegedly shot her during a Facebook Marketplace transaction. Amended charging documents revealed that John Harrison Ford is now charged with murder, felony murder, attempted murder and attempted armed robbery after Jean Gragg, 40, died from her injuries Saturday, June 13. Ford also faces a felony firearm enhancement.
Gragg reportedly died while trying to save his son during the incident on Wednesday, June 10, in the 2600 block of Mac Arthur Avenue on South Bend’s east side. According to police, Gragg’s son was trying to sell a watch to Ford as part of a transaction he arranged through Facebook Marketplace when the shooting happened.
The son alleged that Ford pulled out a gun while looking at the watch, said he needed it and then tried to snatch it from him. Gragg then got in between her son and Ford, and eventually chased Ford away from the property.
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Investigators said that surveillance video shows Ford shooting toward Gragg several times after she turned around and ran back toward the home. Police said Gragg was shot in the head.
Ford reportedly admitted to shooting Gragg during an interview with detectives.
South Bend Police Department shared in an update on Facebook, “Charges have been upgraded for the suspect arrested in connection with last week’s shooting on Mac Arthur Avenue. The victim in the June 10 shooting, 40-year-old Jean Gragg, passed away from her injuries this past weekend. Therefore, charges for the suspect, 18-year-old John Ford, have been upgraded to reflect her death.”
Ford is currently being held at the St. Joseph County Jail.
“Please remember, all persons are presumed innocent until/unless convicted in a court of law,” the post reads.
Who was Jean Gragg?
An obituary for Gragg says that she was killed even as she “fought to stay alive for her family”.
Gragg, born on March 14, 1986, in South Bend to Jay Dee Gragg, Jr. and Dawn (Gadacz) Gragg, graduated from Washington High School class of 2004. She worked for the Morris Performing Arts catering and bartending events, and also for H & R Block as an office manager.
“Jean enjoyed reading, traveling with her son, camping and floating down the river, and spending time with her friends. She was a nurturer, if anyone close to her was sick, you could count on her to take excellent care of you. Jean was a dedicated, wonderful mother, very loving and caring, always putting her son first down to her very last breath,” the obituary said.
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Gragg is survived by her son and his father, Stephen Bailey; her fiancé, Michael “Mitch” Murray; mother, Dawn Gragg, father, Jay Dee Gragg, Jr., brother, Brian Haremza; aunt, Rebecca Eby; cousins, Jennifer Eby and Christopher Smith; best friend, Danielle McClellan, and very close friends, Victoria & Monique Carlson.