Man accused in the shooting death of an Illinois state trooper arraigned Friday
The East St. Louis man accused of killing Illinois State Trooper Nicholas Hopkins while he was attempting to serve a no-knock search warrant last year will remain in jail until his trial in August.
Christopher R. Grant, 46, of East St. Louis, was in federal court Friday for an initial appearance, arraignment and detention hearing in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Beatty. Beatty ordered Grant remanded to federal custody.
Grant entered a not guilty plea.
Grant was represented by Preston Humphrey, a federal public defender. Ali Summers, assistant United States attorney, represented the prosecution.
Grant was indicted by a federal grand jury in March.
In addition to first-degree murder, he is charged with three counts of distributing crack, one count of maintaining a drug house, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime, using a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Hopkins was killed while he and other officers were serving the warrant in East St. Louis related to illegal drug sales on Aug. 23, 2019, authorities said.
The indictment says Grant was using the house on North 42nd Street in East St. Louis to distribute drugs. He “knowingly fired a Glock, Mode 19, 8mm caliber pistol,” the indictment says, as Hopkins and other members of an Illinois State Police SWAT team were supporting the service of a no-knock warrant at the home.
Hopkins was hit by the gunfire and later died at a St. Louis hospital.
Grant’s brother, Torrance Grant, told the BND last year that the family believes that Christopher Grant was asleep in the home and that he thought someone was breaking in his house when the shooting happened.
A co-defendant in the fatal shooting has pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge.
Al Stewart Jr., 20, entered his plea June 8 in the U.S. District Court in East St. Louis via video teleconferencing. Stewart had been indicted on one count of unlawfully using a controlled substance while in possession of a gun.
Stewart faces 41 to 51 months in prison, and was ordered by Rosenstengel to remain in jail until his sentencing in September.
This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 8:09 PM.
