The jury found James Ellis Grant guilty of attempted murder, and multiple weapons possession charges in the May 2012 shooting of the Trenton police SUV.
James Ellis Grant TRENTON — A jury yesterday quickly returned a guilty verdict for a city man accused of riddling a Trenton police SUV with bullets in May 2012.
The jury found James Ellis Grant, 25, guilty 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 in the May 14, 2012, shooting of the SUV in which Officers Mike Runyon and Gene Palumbo were riding.
Neither officer was struck by the gunfire, but Palumbo has been assigned to desk duty since the incident, and said during the trial that he has had a difficult time dealing with it.
“We’re grateful for the Trenton police and the work they do. They put their life on the line every day,” Assistant Prosecutor Lew Korngut said after the verdict was read. “People don’t realize what it’s like to get shot at on the streets. It’s very traumatic.”
The vehicle was struck five times on Stuyvesant Avenue, according to photos shown by Korngut and Assistant Prosecutor Michael Grillo.
Prosecutors and an eyewitness who was 17 years old at the time said Grant wanted to kill random police officers because he felt they were responsible for the death of his girlfriend’s brother, Orenthia “Pookie” Upshur, 20, who died 11 days earlier in a high-speed crash in Chambersburg. Police officers said they attempted to follow Upshur’s car but could not catch up before it crashed.
“I heard him say, ‘They killed my baby mom’s brother,’” said the witness, whose identity is being withheld because of safety concerns.
“Who do you think ‘they’ meant?” Korngut asked.
“The police,” the witness replied.
That same witness testified he was steps behind Grant more than a week later when he used an M-1 carbine assault rifle with .30-caliber bullets to shoot at the SUV. No gun was recovered, but two other witnesses said Grant told them he used that type of rifle, and a State Police ballistics expert testified that shell casings found at the scene match those that would come from an M-1 carbine assault rifle. The weapon is three times as powerful as a police handgun, State Police Investigator Randolph Toth said.
Deasia Clegg, Upshur’s sister and the mother of Grant’s child, said Grant would not have sought revenge for her brother’s death because the two didn’t like each other and hadn’t spoken in months.
“He had cut all ties with my brother at the end of March,” Clegg said. “James did not attend the funeral.”
Yesterday morning, the jury asked to hear a reading of the testimony of two witnesses who were incarcerated with Grant at Mercer County Correction Center. A 22-year-old man said Grant told him about how he shot at the officers and later hid the rifle. A 33-year-old man testified that Grant confided in him about a botched attempt to murder the 17-year-old witness. Less than a half-hour later, the jury returned its verdict.
Both witnesses will receive a reduced sentence in exchange for their testimony, prosecutors said.
Grant’s attorney Arun Lavine declined comment after the verdict, but said she would file an appeal after his sentencing, which is scheduled for April 1. Grant faces up to 60 years in prison, Lavine has said.
Contact Alyssa Mease at amease@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5673.
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