Mother, son dealt drugs, federal indictment says

Rita Gray’s promise to her then-jailed son “to shoot anyone who entered” her home was prophetic, as she is now under federal indictment for shooting a Columbus police officer.

The multi-count indictment returned Wednesday also sheds light on a potential motive for Gray not wanting people to enter her Northeast Side house.

Gray, 68, and her son Eric, 31, are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

Gray is accused of opening fire when Columbus Police Officer Russ Weiner burst through the door of the home in the 3200 block of Chelford Drive on the morning of May 28. Weiner, 53, was critically wounded by one of the bullets, which went outside his protective vest. He underwent surgery and is recovering.

Federal and local law enforcement agents found more than a pound of methamphetamine mixed with fentanyl. They also recovered almost $20,000 in cash, 10 guns, rounds of ammunition, drug paraphernelia, 13 cellular telephones and two computers, court records show.

On the day his mother’s house was raided, Eric Gray was arrested at John Glenn Columbus International Airport with about $21,500 in his possession, court records show.

Investigators began taking a closer look at the Grays after seeing that her bank account contained about $100,000, court records show. The investigation is ongoing.

Rita Gray faces more federal charges than her son: The five additional counts are possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, assault of an officer, and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to drug trafficking and violence.