Patel Grogan, a 24-year-old man from Erie, Pennsylvania, was shot in the head during a botched robbery on the night of November 20, 2021. His friend drove him to Saint Vincent Hospital, and he was later transferred to UPMC Hamot, where he was pronounced dead at 5:15 a.m. on November 21, 2021. The Erie County Coroner officially ruled his death a homicide.
The shooting occurred inside a Chevrolet Equinox at West Eighth and Raspberry streets. According to investigators, Grogan and his best friend, Adrian A. Thrower, 24, planned to rob a man after Grogan arranged to buy marijuana from him. A 21-year-old woman, Anika N. Duran, was driving the vehicle with Grogan in the front passenger seat. After they picked up the man they intended to rob, Thrower, who had been hiding in the rear cargo area, grabbed the man in a chokehold and put a gun to his head, demanding, "give me everything." As Grogan turned to punch the man and take his wallet, a struggle ensued.
The gun fired, and the bullet struck Grogan in the head. The robbery victim then fled the vehicle.
After dropping Grogan at the hospital, Duran was interviewed by police. Meanwhile, Thrower appeared at the same hospital with a gunshot wound to his hand, telling officers he had been robbed by two people in another neighborhood. However, investigators found Thrower’s ID and debit card inside Duran’s vehicle, contradicting his story.
Police charged Duran with criminal homicide, second-degree murder, and robbery. They issued an arrest warrant for Thrower on charges including homicide, second-degree murder, robbery, and aggravated assault, but he had already fled the state. In December 2021, members of the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force located and arrested Thrower without incident in Country Club Hills, Illinois. He was extradited back to Erie, where prosecutors added charges of flight to avoid apprehension and making false reports to authorities.
In May 2023, Thrower’s jury trial for second-degree murder began. After two days of testimony, the proceedings took an unexpected turn when Grogan’s mother, Carolyn Grogan, intervened. She told the court she believed Thrower had not meant to kill her son, stating, "It was all a mistake. They were all wrong, Adrian and my son." At her request, prosecutors offered a plea deal. Thrower pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and was immediately sentenced to 20 to 40 years in state prison. The case against him was closed as of May 2023.
