EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — The second of two men charged in the 2019 fatal shooting of an Illinois State Police trooper in East St. Louis has pleaded guilty.
The St. Clair County state’s attorney office said Christopher R. Grant, 47, pleaded guilty to six federal in exchange for having two other charges dropped. The charges stemmed from the deadly shooting of Trooper Nicholas Hopkins.
Trooper Hopkins was wounded during an exchange of gunfire while serving the warrant for drug offenses in August 2019. He later died at a hospital.
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Grant lived at the home where the warrant was being served. An investigation prior to the deadly incident showed Grant selling crack cocaine and marijuana from the home. After making a controlled purchase from the home, they got a search warrant.
While officers were trying to get into the home, Grant woke up. Grant thought he was being robbed, as he had been in the past, so he pulled out his gun and started firing. One of the shots struck and killed Trooper Hopkins.
On March 18, 2020, a federal grand jury returned an 8-count indictment against Grant, charging him with three counts of distributing crack cocaine, maintaining a drug house, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, use of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and use of a firearm to commit murder in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
As part of his plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss the charges for possessing and using a firearm during a federal drug crime.
The plea did not change the statutory penalties Grant could face, so he could still be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Sentencing is set for Nov. 9, 2021.
Al Stewart Jr. pleaded guilty Feb. 10 to armed violence, obstructing justice, and possession with intent to distribute cannabis charges in connection with the same incident.
