On a March evening in 2023, a sense of unease settled over the Mose Moorehead Baseball Field at Muskingum University. A visiting Olivet College baseball player, after returning to the dugout for a forgotten sweatshirt, was confronted by a 29-year-old male named Franklin J. Grayson. In a sudden and violent act, Grayson pulled out a gun and shot the student three times. The unprovoked attack left the player with non-life-threatening injuries and a community in shock.
The victim, who did not know his attacker, was able to provide a description to authorities before being hospitalized and later released to his parents.
The investigation that followed painted a picture of a meticulously planned assault. Detectives discovered that Grayson, a 2021 graduate of Olivet College with no other apparent connection to the victim, had traveled with intent. He flew from his home in Jacksonville, Florida, to Columbus, Ohio, on the day of the shooting. Upon arrival, he rented a car and purchased a bicycle. In an effort to cover his tracks, Grayson drove the rental car to a local business, hiding it, and then rode the bicycle to the baseball field. His phone records later revealed searches for Olivet College's away game schedule, indicating a premeditated desire to lash out at his alma mater at a distance.
As law enforcement descended on the scene, Grayson attempted to flee, quickly shedding his clothes to alter his appearance, an act witnessed by local residents. Despite his efforts to evade capture, New Concord police officers apprehended him shortly after the shooting. They noted his heavy breathing and the mud on his shoes and clothing. As the case moved through the legal system, Grayson was indicted on fourteen felony counts, including attempted murder, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence.
In October 2025, Franklin Grayson appeared in the Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas and pleaded guilty to a range of charges, including attempted murder, felonious assault, inducing panic, improperly discharging a firearm in a school safety zone, carrying a concealed weapon, and tampering with evidence. Facing the weight of his actions and the extensive evidence compiled against him, Grayson now awaits sentencing, with the possibility of more than 35 years in prison for the calculated and violent attack that shattered a quiet evening at a university baseball game.
