The shooting triggered an intensive investigation as police scoured the West Ward neighborhood for evidence and leads in the case for three weeks.
James Ellis Grant TRENTON — A unnamed witness today testified that he saw James Ellis Grant shoot an assault rifle in the direction of a police SUV in May 2012, the night two police officers were ambushed by gunfire on Stuyvesant Avenue in the city.
“I seen him jump up, take a couple steps forward, his hands extend and I heard gunshots,” said the witness, who claimed to have run from the site with Grant to take refuge in his home after the shooting.
Grant is accused of two counts of first-degree attempted murder, two counts of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, one count of second-degree unlawful possession of an assault firearm and one count of third-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.
The shooting triggered an intensive investigation as police scoured the West Ward neighborhood for evidence and leads in the case for three weeks.
The unnamed witness, who said he was a friend of Grant’s and has since moved out of the state for fear of retaliation, told Assistant Prosecutor Lew Korngut he was standing “a couple steps” behind Grant when he fired between eight and 11 shots at the SUV.
Prosecutors allege Grant, 25, wanted to shoot at police officers in retaliation for the death of Orenthia “Pookie” Upshur, a 20-year-old Trenton resident who died 11 days earlier in a high-speed car wreck while being followed by police. Upshur’s sister is the mother of Grant’s child.
The witness, who was 17 years old at the time of the shooting, was originally charged in connection with the shooting. In a videotaped police interview from June 2012, before he was charged, he said he was three or four houses away from Grant at the time of the shooting and did not see him holding a gun.
“It was dark,” the witness said in the tape. “I’m sure he did it.”
In court today, the witness said he had always wanted to tell police the truth, but was scared for his safety. He said he encountered Grant in the alleyway, saw him fire the gun, and then ran with him to Grant’s home on Rutherford Avenue. There, the two men changed clothes and Grant hid the gun, the witness said. Charges against the teen were dropped and he agreed to testify against Grant.
Police have never recovered the gun Grant is alleged to have used to shoot at the officers. The witness testified today Grant told him he wrapped it in a plastic bag with duct tape and buried it under boards outside of his house immediately after the shooting. Prosecutors showed him a photo of an assault rifle, which he said looked similar to the gun Grant used.
“The state is not presenting any evidence whatsoever that any gun has ever been recovered,” Superior Court Judge Pedro Jimenez said. “In this particular case, the gun Mr. Grant is alleged to have used has never been recovered.”
Last Friday, Officers Mike Runyon and Gene Palumbo testified they were patrolling Stuyvesant Avenue just before midnight on May 14, 2012, when they realized they were being shot at. Five of those bullets hit the SUV, some just inches from hitting the officers, prosecutors said.
Contact Alyssa Mease at amease@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5673.
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