Glen Head Mechanic Found Guilty Of Killing Co-Worker

GLEN COVE, NY — A Glen Cove man who fatally shot his co-worker at an auto repair shop has been convicted in Nassau County, prosecutors announced Thursday.

Lawrence Grammer, 74, was found guilty of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the death of 35-year-old Bashir "Bobby" Ward. The former mechanic is due back in court on July 27 and may face life in prison.

It all started at D&R Auto Body Services on Aug. 3, 2018 — a day before the deadly shooting.

Prosecutors said Grammer — who had been employed for about 15 years — got into an argument with another co-worker over gas station receipts. The fight escalated after Ward intervened and pushed Grammer onto the ground.

The following day, Ward was working on a customer's Jeep, while Grammer was working on his own vehicle. According to the indictment, Grammer retrieved a gun from his car, walked up to Ward, and shot him once in the back of the head.

That's when Grammer called 911.

"I just killed a guy," Grammer told the dispatcher, adding that the gun was in the seat of a Toyota.

Prosecutors said he returned to the shop a few minutes later and was placed under arrest. The gun was recovered in a Toyota Rav4, which was parked down the street and registered to Grammer's son, according to authorities.

More than two decades earlier, Grammer was convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl. According to the New York State Sex Offender Registry, he was sentenced to five years of probation.