A mother was shot dead after stepping in to protect her teenage son during a Facebook Marketplace transaction that turned violent.
Jean Gragg, 40, was critically wounded after allegedly confronting an armed suspect who tried to steal a watch her son was selling online.
The shooting happened at around 9.50pm on 10 June after the teenager arranged to meet a buyer at the family home, as reported by Need To Know.
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According to police, the suspect arrived to view the watch and met the boy on the front porch.
But while inspecting the item, the man allegedly pulled out a firearm and attempted to grab the watch before fleeing.
Investigators say Gragg stepped between her son and the suspect before chasing him away from the property.
As he ran off, the suspect allegedly turned and fired a shot towards the porch, striking Gragg.
Officers responding to reports of a shooting found the mum suffering from a gunshot wound and rushed her to hospital with serious injuries.
She remained in critical condition for several days before succumbing to her injuries over the weekend.
Police later identified the suspect as 18-year-old John Ford.
Detectives located Ford and the firearm allegedly used in the shooting at an apartment complex the following day.
He was initially charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of robbery.
Following Gragg’s death, prosecutors upgraded the charges to murder, attempted murder and armed robbery.
Ford remains in custody at the St Joseph County Jail.
The victim’s son told investigators he had arranged the sale through Facebook Marketplace and had been showing the watch to the suspect moments before the violence unfolded.
The fatal shooting took place in South Bend, Indiana.
The case remains under investigation.
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