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TUESDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 6, 1984Daily 1 NewsBy BRIAN L. MASSEYDaily News City EditorA Bay County man shot and mortally wounded his ex-wife Monday inside a bathroom at a Mary Esther restaurant before turning his gun on himself, authorities said.The woman - Bonnie Williams Graham, 21, Shalimar — was listed in critical condition at 10 p.m. Monday in HumanaHospital Fort Walton Beach.The petite Filipino woman had been declared “brain dead”earlier Monday night. However, a hospital spokeswoman said, her condition was upgraded to critical when a medical team that was supposed to remove herinternal organsfor transplantwas delayed.Her husband,Sgt. James D.Graham, 26, was in critical condition late Mondayafter emergencysurgery. He is assigned to the 325thAircraft Generation Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base nearPanama City, a Tyndall spokesman said.No charges have been filed in the incident. Okaloosa County Undersheriff Jerry Alford said he expects charges will be filed againstGraham — if he survives.The shooting occurred aboutGRAHAMLY* • *».Daily News BRIAN MASSfYA WRECKER PREPARES TO TOW A CAR APPARENTLY DRIVEN BY SGT. JAMES GRAHAM AT SEASON S RESTAURANT...the car in the foreground is owned by Graham’s ex-wife, who was shot inside the restaurant10.49 a.m. at Season’s Friendly Eating, 450 U.S. Highway 98, Mary Esther, just east of Mary EstherCut-Off.According to witnesses, Mrs. Graham was seated in the rear dining room with several business associates for a breakfast salesmeeting. The witnesses said Mrs. Graham sold insurance, but thatcould not be confirmed.Graham approached his wife about 30 minutes into the breakfastmeeting, said a woman who wasseated at the same table as Mrs. Graham. The woman, like all thewitnesses the Daily News interviewed, refused to give her name.“The man had a funny look on his face when he came to our table,”the woman said. “He told Bonnie, 'I want to talk to you.’ She said, ‘No.’ Then he whispered something to her and she got up and walkedout of the room.“It was just the way he talked ...He had a real funny look in hiseyes.”According to another woman who was attending an unrelatedbreakfast meeting in the same dining room, Mrs. Graham started to walk outside the restaurant with Graham when she darted into theladies’ bathroom.“Then the guy went into therestroom and some of us said,‘Look, that man just walked intothe ladies’ restroom,”’ the secondwoman said “Then we heard twothuds. People at my meeting said.Oh, my God, what was that?”’A third woman who was seated at Mrs. Graham’s table said: “Weheard a thump, thump ... likesomebody had hit the wall.”“Just hearing it made me start shaking,” the first woman said.“My husband said, ‘Those were gunshots’ ... I wanted to go in and check, but my husband hold me back ... He said: ‘No. Those weregunshots. ’”“We asked the (restaurant’s)manager to go inside the bathroom and check,” said the secondwoman. “She came out and said to call an ambulance.”A waitress who declined to give her name said the manager cameout of the ladies’ room and said that “they both were lying on the floor in there.”Graham and his wife were takento Humana Hospital by Okaloosa County Emergency Medical Services ambulances. EMS associate director Nick Stager said hisreports indicated both were shot inthe back of the head.Graham underwent emergency surgery and was listed in criticalcondition in Humana’s intensive-care unit.Mrs. Graham did not undergo surgery. About 6:45 p.m. aHumana spokeswoman said: “She’s brain dead. She’s being kept alive so that her organs can be donated for transplant.”However, at 10 p.m. the spokeswoman said Mrs. Graham’scondition had been changed to critical because a medical team that was to remove her organs had been delayed. “She could go back to brain dead. It depends on when the team arrives,” she said.Sheriff’s Investigator Itobbie Hughes said Graham apparently used a smal 1-caliber handgun to(See Shooting — page 3B)
Newspaper Details
Fort Walton Beach Playground Daily News
Fort Walton Beach, Florida, US
Tue, Nov 06, 1984
Page 9
Full Page
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USA 15 May 2020
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