Roy McGrath Shot Twice — Once By Self, Once By FBI: Report

BALTIMORE, MD — Roy McGrath, the ex-chief of staff to former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, was shot twice — once by himself and again by the FBI — in a confrontation with federal agents in Tennessee, weeks after skipping his court appearance on federal theft and fraud charges.

In a Knox County District Attorney General's Office report obtained by the Baltimore Banner, authorities said FBI agents tracked McGrath to a Costco outside Knoxville. When agents ordered McGrath to surrender, he refused and told them he had a gun.

That's when McGrath put the gun to his head in a way that put agents in the line of fire, the Banner reported.

"Simultaneously, McGrath fired his gun, striking his right temple, and the agent fired one round striking McGrath's left cheek," prosecutors wrote Friday, adding the agent acted in self-defense.

The report's release offered the first look into the circumstances leading to McGrath's death. McGrath, 53, died April 3, and until Friday, it was not clear whether the injury was self-inflicted or if it occurred in an exchange of gunfire with FBI agents.

Before his death, federal authorities were searching the southern United States for McGrath, who was facing an eight-count federal indictment on charges of wire fraud, including securing a $233,648 severance payment equal to one year of salary as the head of Maryland Environmental Service, according to the Department of Justice. Authorities said McGrath falsified a document that appeared to be from Hogan approving the severance payment.

McGrath also faced fraud and embezzlement charges connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses, according to The Associated Press.

Hogan appointed McGrath in 2016 as executive director of Maryland Environmental Service, a state-owned agency that provides environmental services to state and local government agencies, federal government entities, and private clients. McGrath resigned from the agency on May 31, 2020, and became Hogan's chief of staff a day later.

Charges were filed against McGrath in the fall of 2021.

The FBI concluded its investigation into McGrath's death on July 20, though the results remain confidential, according to a separate Banner report.

The announcement came two days after the agency defended its lack of transparency surrounding the investigation.

"It's not surprising to me, even though it might be surprising to you, that you wouldn't be getting information about an ongoing shooting review," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a visit to the FBI's Baltimore field office, according to the Banner. "We take great pains to be very meticulous about how we do those."

McGrath's attorney, Joseph Murtha, told the Banner he thinks the FBI should be more transparent.

"In my humble opinion, it doesn't appear to be a complicated investigation," he told the publication.

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• Roy McGrath Didn't Plan To Appear In Court Before Death: Report