Glen Cove man sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for 2018 murder

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Lawrence Grammer, a mechanic from Glen Cove, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the August 2018 shooting death of his co-worker at an automotive repair shop in Glen Head.

The sentencing on Sept. 23 came more than three months after Grammer, 74, was convicted by a Nassau County jury of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

According to authorities, Grammer shot and killed his co-worker, Bashir 'Bobby' Ward, 35, on the morning of Aug. 4, 2018, at the Citgo Gas Station/D&R Auto Services in Glen Head, following an argument the two had the day before. Authorities said that, on Aug. 3, 2018, Grammer and a third co-worker got into an argument over gas station receipts, and Ward intervened. Grammer and Ward's argument became physical and Ward pushed Grammer onto the ground.

The following day, Ward was working on a customer's Jeep on a lift, while Grammer was working on his own vehicle, a Dodge Durango. According to the indictment, Grammer retrieved a gun from his vehicle, walked up to Ward, shot him once in the back of the head from less than two feet away and left the scene.

 Grammer then called 911 and told the dispatcher, "I just killed a guy," adding that the murder weapon was in the seat of a Toyota. 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 the defendant's son.


"Bashir 'Bobby' Ward was effectively executed when this defendant approached him from behind and mercilessly shot him once in the back of the head at close range, killing him," Acting District Attorney Joyce A. Smith Smith said. "Grammer took a man's life after a petty argument and will now spend decades in prison paying for his crime."


As of press time, Grammer’s attorney, Joseph Lo Piccolo, could not be reached for comment.