Patrolman McGraw was shot and killed during a robbery at a pharmacy on Hennepin Avenue. Patrolman McGraw had been assigned to the store after a series of robberies in the area. A suspect entered and ordered the clerk to hand over the money. When Patrolman McGraw emerged from the back he and the suspect exchanged shots at a close range and both were fatally wounded.

Patrolman McGraw had been with the agency for 26 years and was survived by his wife.