Second-degree murder warrant issued in Sarasota homicide

Sarasota County sheriff’s deputies are looking for a Sarasota man in connection with a fatal shooting on Thursday evening.

A warrant was issued for the arrest of 33-year-old Trae B. Ward on a charge of second-degree murder.

According to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the 2500 block of Colson Avenue, near the intersection of 17th Street and U.S. 301, over a reported shooting.

They arrived to find a man with a bullet wound to the chest outside of a home. The man, identified as 45-year-old Reginald Graves, was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital but was pronounced dead at 7:54 p.m. Thursday.

On Friday afternoon, the sheriff’s office announced that an arrest warrant had been issued for Ward, who in late April 2025 listed a residence in a neighborhood just a few block east of Thursday's night's shooting scene, according to court records.

This is believed to be an isolated incident, according to the sheriff’s office. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Ward, please contact the SCSO Criminal Investigations Section at 941.861.4900 or Crime Stoppers at 941.366.8477 (366-TIPS), online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com.