PHILADELPHIA (September 19, 2022) — Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced today that Roland Graham (02/03/1946) was found guilty by a jury of Attempted Murder (F1), Aggravated Assault (F1), VUFA 6106 (F3), VUFA 6108 (M1), and Possession of an Instrument of Crime (M1), for the non-fatal shooting of a then-19-year-old Church’s Chicken employee in North Philadelphia in 2016. Graham has an extensive criminal history spanning over four decades that includes violent offenses in several states.The incident began on the evening of March 6, 2016, when the then-70-year-old defendant, who was consuming food inside a Church’s Chicken filled with patrons—including children—located on the 3600 block of North Broad Street, confronted an employee (the victim’s brother) after he allegedly sprayed cleaning solution close to where Graham was eating. As the verbal altercation started escalating to physical conflict, the victim, also a Church’s Chicken employee, entered the dining area from behind the food counter and successfully restrained his brother before a fight broke out. The defendant left the restaurant but returned with a firearm and fired six shots at the complainant, seriously wounding him. The victim was later transported by Philadelphia police to Temple Hospital in critical condition and has since undergone several surgeries, including the removal of part of an intestine.
“I want to thank Assistant District Attorney Lauren Crump of the DAO’s Homicide and Non-Fatal Shooting Unit for successfully prosecuting this case,” said DA Krasner. “Her skillful prosecution helped secure justice for this victim and for communities across Philadelphia by taking a clearly dangerous individual off of the streets.”Graham’s path to justice and accountability was delayed significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s lengthy shutdown of Philadelphia’s court system, as well as the defendant’s refusal to submit to COVID-19 testing in order to be present for court hearings. He was eventually tried before a jury in absentia. The defendant received a sentence of 23 and a half to 47 years of state incarceration by the Hon. Glenn B. Bronson on September 6.
CONTACT:Dustin Slaughter, 215-686-8713, [email protected]
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million residents of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually. Learn more about the DAO by visiting PhillyDA.org.