A Schuylkill County man is facing a felony gun possession charge after forensic analysis linked him to a 2021 shots fired incident and a handgun recovered during a 2024 search of his Pottsville residence, police say.
Okili Grant, 25, is accused of firing a weapon during an October 2021 altercation. Police say Grant is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a previous aggravated assault adjudication in March 2018.
Police initially responded to a report of shots fired in the 200 block of Howard Ave. on the morning of Oct. 10, 2021. Upon arrival, police located a 9mm shell casing on a front porch. A witness told police that two men were arguing just before a gunshot was heard.
Surveillance footage showed Grant meeting and arguing with another man, police allege. The other man remained in view and did not produce a weapon, while Grant walked into an obstructed area out of camera view just before the weapon was produced and fired, police say. Both men then fled the area.
Following the 2021 incident, the other man confirmed to police that he and Grant had an ongoing verbal feud over a woman, but he denied knowing anything about a weapon. Grant admitted to the feud and to being in the area at the time, but denied possessing or firing a weapon, police say.
The case progressed on Jan. 30, 2024, when a state Attorney General’s Office executed a search warrant at Grant’s residence on N. Third St. in Pottsville. During that search, an unloaded 9mm Ruger Security pistol was found under the bed where Grant slept, along with a 14-round extended magazine and a loose round located inside the mattress, police say.
Police delivered the firearm, the 2021 shell casing, and DNA swabs taken from the gun to a police lab for examination in late 2024.
Lab results confirmed the spent shell casing from the 2021 shooting was fired from the handgun seized from Grant’s bedroom, police say. DNA analysis concluded that a genetic profile obtained from the firearm is 92 octillion times more likely to have originated from Grant and two unknown individuals than if it had originated from three unknown people.
A State Police lab also confirmed the firearm was functional and did not discharge during shock-and-drop testing.
Grant was arraigned Friday afternoon on a felony gun possession charge as well as misdemeanor charges for disorderly conduct and reckless endangerment. Magisterial District Judge James Reiley set bail for Grant at $15,000 unsecured. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 27.
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