An Indiana mother was fatally shot in the head while protecting her son amid a deadly ambush during a Facebook Market exchange last week.

18-year-old John Ford fatally shot Jean Gragg, 40, as her son attempted to sell a watch in South Bend, Indiana.

Surveillance video shows Ford pulling out a firearm while he was looking at the watch.

Gragg jumped in to help her son and Ford responded by opening fire and striking her multiple times.

Gragg died from her injuries over the weekend.

According to WSBT, John Ford is facing murder, attempted murder, and attempted armed robbery charges.

WSBT reported:

An 18-year-old accused of critically injuring a woman in South Bend has now been charged with murder after she died over the weekend.

Jean Gragg died on Saturday from her injuries.

John Ford, 18, was taken into custody following the shooting on Wednesday night on Mac Arthur Boulevard in the Edison Park neighborhood.

Ford is accused of shooting Jean Gragg in an attempted robbery of a watch during a Facebook Marketplace transaction.

In court documents, police say Ford was meeting a person at the location who was selling a watch. While he was looking at the watch, he brandished a firearm. Jean Gragg moved in between the 3rd person and Ford. Gragg then chased Ford away.

In court documents, surveillance footage showed Ford reaching for the watch, and Gragg was pushing and telling him to get away.

SAY HER NAME: Jean Gragg

Jean, an Indiana mother, was allegedly m*rdered by John Ford during an attempted robbery at a Facebook Marketplace meetup.

Jean was trying to protect her son when she was fatally shot in the head.

Ford reportedly admitted to detectives that he shot… pic.twitter.com/eftiWUXQSP

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 15, 2026

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