In the summer of 2018, a workplace dispute at a Glen Head auto repair shop tragically escalated, ending the life of 35-year-old Bashir ‘Bobby’ Ward. The male victim was a mechanic at D&R Auto Services, located at a Citgo gas station, where he worked alongside Lawrence Grammer, a man who had been employed there for about 15 years.
On August 3, 2018, an argument erupted between Grammer and another coworker over gas station receipts. Ward intervened in the dispute, which then became a physical altercation between him and Grammer, culminating in Ward pushing Grammer to the ground. The following day, on August 4, the tension from the previous day's conflict lingered. While Ward was working on a customer's Jeep, Grammer retrieved a gun from his own vehicle. He then walked up to Ward and shot him once in the back of the head from close range.
After the shooting, Grammer left the scene for a short time before calling 911.
In his call to the dispatcher, he confessed, 'I just killed a guy.' He also informed them that the murder weapon was in the seat of a Toyota. Grammer returned to the auto shop a few minutes later and was arrested by the police. The gun was subsequently found in a Toyota Rav4, registered to his son, which was parked down the street.
Lawrence Grammer, who was 71 years old at the time of the murder, was charged with murder in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. In June 2021, a jury found him guilty of both charges after a trial that began in late May. The jury deliberated for less than a day before reaching their verdict. Grammer faced a potential sentence of up to 25 years to life in prison.
