FBI continues to review shooting that killed Hogan's ex-aide Roy McGrath in Tennessee

BALTIMORE - The FBI says it is reviewing the shooting that killed Roy McGrath, ex-top aide to former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Monday evening.

Officials have not said whether McGrath shot himself or was shot by law enforcement agents during an encounter outside of Knoxville, Tennessee.

McGrath was on the run for weeks since he skipped out on his federal fraud trial in Baltimore on March 13.

WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren spoke with people who live and work near where McGrath was shot. 

The passenger side window of the Cadillac Escalade that McGrath had been driving was shot out, and McGrath was wounded by gunfire, ending a weeks-long manhunt. 

Joseph Murtha, McGrath's attorney, confirmed his client's death.

Those who were near the strip mall in Farragut, Tennessee, described to WJZ the massive police presence.

"First thing we saw is some police cars pull up and then some more ambulances, and then we had lots of undercover cars," a worker at a nearby game store said. "I actually pulled on Kingston Pike and almost got hit by one of the undercover cars." 

The FBI said the shooting is under investigation, and would not say whether McGrath was armed.

WJZ spoke with a woman who lives steps from where McGrath was shot.

"It was wild enough that my 20-year-old son called freaking out," the woman, who didn't want to be identified, said. "He called me in this major panic, 'mom, something's going on in front of the house at Gold's Gym.'"

Law enforcement officials have not said how McGrath landed in Tennessee.

"It wasn't like he came out of the gym," a neighbor said. "The cops surrounded him in his parking spot. That was not the case. It appeared to me that he was driving down between the two when the cops cornered him."

McGrath was facing a maximum of 100 years in federal prison for charges of illegally recording Hogan and stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from state government.

He skipped out on his trial in Baltimore on March 13 and was considered to be a fugitive by the U.S. Marshals. The FBI searched his home in Florida and offered a $20,000 reward.

During those three weeks, two books outlining McGrath's case, from his perspective, were published on Amazon. 

Murtha said his client never wavered in his innocence. 

Former Governor Hogan said he is praying for McGrath's family.

"The FBI has confirmed Roy's passing," Murtha said. "It is a tragic ending to the past three weeks of uncertainty. I think it is important to stress that Roy never wavered about his innocence."

Previous Coverage: 

• Arrest warrant issued after Roy McGrath, ex-chief of staff to former Gov. Hogan
• FBI raids ex-Hogan adviser Roy McGrath's Florida home as 'fugitive' search proceeds
• Book released on ex-Hogan advisor Roy McGrath amid nationwide fugitive search

In:
• WJZ Investigates