Montgomery Man Convicted of Illegally Possessing a Firearm Recovered at Scene of Shooting Where Four Year Old Child was Injured

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - On January 7, 2025, a federal jury convicted 27-year-old Grenden James Jordan, from Montgomery, Alabama, on the charge of illegally possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony offense, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson.

"The illegal use of guns by individuals that have no regard for the safety of our communities, our children, or anyone but themselves will not be tolerated," stated Acting United States Attorney Davidson. "My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting all violations of federal firearms laws to deter criminals like Grenden Jordan from engaging in these public shootings and placing innocent bystanders in harm's way."

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on March 16, 2024, an officer with the Montgomery Police Department heard gun shots being fired on Atlanta Highway near the Eastern Boulevard overpass and responded to the scene. Upon arrival, the officer saw three men walking away from a blue Dodge Challenger that was stopped in one of the lanes of traffic. One of the men, later identified as Grenden James Jordan, was observed by the officer throwing a firearm towards the side of the road. This was also captured on the officer's dash cam video. The three men fled the scene.

Witnesses stated that the three men were occupants of the Dodge Challenger and had exchanged gunfire with a red sedan, which left the scene when law enforcement arrived. Numerous bullet holes were found on the Dodge Challenger. There was a third vehicle on the scene that had been caught in the crossfire and had gunshot damage as well. This vehicle was occupied by innocent bystanders including a mother, father, and four-year-old child. The child sustained injuries from broken glass caused by the gunshots and was treated.

Officers recovered an AR-style pistol from the area where the firearm had been thrown by Jordan, along with a high-capacity drum magazine with ammunition. During the trial, the jury saw a photo taken prior to March 16, 2024, showing Jordan posing with an AR-style pistol matching the one found on the scene of the shooting. In reaching their verdict, the jury determined that Jordan was in possession of the firearm recovered at the scene of the shooting. Jordan has previous felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

Following this conviction, Jordan faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison with no parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled in the coming months. During that hearing, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case was brought as a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department's renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney's Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The Montgomery Police Department and the FBI investigated this case, which Assistant United States Attorneys Brandon W. Bates and Michelle R. Turner prosecuted.