Was wanted in connection with incident in Milford Center
A local fugitive was murdered Friday in Columbus.
Joe Lewis Bernard McGraw IV, 21, of Youngstown, also known as “Lil Bra,” was pronounced dead Friday at Riverside Hospital.
McGraw was indicted in November, charged with two counts of aggravated robbery and one count each of kidnapping and theft stemming from the Oct. 14 robbery of SG’s Market in Milford Center. Despite being indicted, McGraw had not been located.
According to information from the Columbus Division of Police, late Friday afternoon, McGraw went to the Continent Village Apartments in the 6000 block of Busch Boulevard in Columbus to meet an individual about the sale of a laptop. Union County Prosecutor Dave Phillips said the deal apparently “went bad” and about 5:40 p.m., McGraw was shot.
Police were called and found McGraw in what they termed “critical condition.”
He was taken by medic to Riverside Hospital where he died. Police officials confirmed one person was taken into custody in connection with the shooting.
Local investigators confirmed with Columbus police that the dead man was the same man wanted in Union County.
McGraw is accused of being the gunman in the SG’s Market robbery.
According to information from the Union County Sheriff’s Office, at about 7:31 p.m. Oct. 14, a 911 caller reported an armed robbery at the Milford Center store. The caller said three men entered the business wearing masks and hoodies. The caller said one of the men had a silver and black handgun. A codefendant identified that person as McGraw.
Another man went into the back office of the store and took a plastic bag full of cash.
McGraw forced the cashier to open the register and give him the money.
The three men ran from the store and into an alley behind the business.
A deputy on patrol stopped a 2012 Honda Accord near the intersection of U.S. 42 and Route 161 for a traffic violation and identified the men as those involved in the robbery.
The driver was identified as Logan B. Wolfe, 22, of 163 W. Center Street, Milford Center, and removed from the vehicle.
“A loaded handgun magazine was recovered from the driver’s pants pocket,” according to information from the Sheriff’s Office.
Wolfe refused to comply with the deputy and instead ran back to his vehicle and drove away.
According to court documents Wolfe drove at speeds in excess of 100 mph. Law enforcement officials pursued the group but eventually terminated the chase in Franklin County for safety reasons.
Because the deputy had already identified Wolfe before he fled, law enforcement officials were able to arrest him the next day.
One suspect remains at large and the robbery remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives recovered about $680 of the about $2,000 taken during the robbery.
In April, Wolfe pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated robbery with a firearm and one count of failure to comply. As part of a presentence investigation, officials found Wolfe “likely to commit future crimes.”
Wolfe was sentenced to a minimum of 10 years and seven months in prison.
If convicted on all charges, McGraw could have faced as many as 24 years in prison.
McGraw’s death was the 91st homicide in Columbus for 2021.
Anyone with information is being asked to call the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at (614) 645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-8477.