BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston Police Superintendent-in-Chief Gregory Long issued a statement Tuesday expressing his “extreme disappointment” in a split verdict for a man who was sentenced to 8 to 10 years in prison on weapons charges stemming from the shooting of a police officer in 2016.
Grant Headley, 32, of Dorchester, received the sentence after a Suffolk County jury last week found him guilty of firearm offenses in connection with the Jan. 8 shooting but acquitted him of shooting Boston Police Officer Kurt Stokinger, Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement.
As officers approached the vehicle Headley was driving in, prosecutors allege he got out and fired a .40-caliber Glock semi-automatic firearm with a high-capacity cartridge at them, hitting and injuring Stonkinger — but the jury did not convict Headley of charges related to the alleged assault.
“The Boston Police Department is extremely disappointed in this split verdict. It is the Department’s firm belief that, despite the jury’s verdict, the evidence warranted the conviction of Headley for shooting Officer Stokinger,” Long wrote in a statement. “In closing, and most importantly, the Department wants to acknowledge the continued pain and suffering of Officer Stokinger and his family. Our support for them has never wavered.”
Rollins also addressed the verdict in a statement, saying, “I’m deeply grateful to the officers who took Mr. Headley into custody on January 8, 2016. They displayed tremendous restraint, despite the risks and harm they faced. While my staff and I are disappointed that we were not able to hold this defendant accountable for the violent armed assault of a Boston Police officer, and a broad daylight shooting in a Suffolk County neighborhood, we respect the jury’s decision and are grateful for their work on this case.”
Headley was convicted of carrying a loaded firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm as a third offense, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number and two counts of possession of a large capacity firearm or feeding device. He was acquitted of armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery by discharging a firearm, possessing a firearm in the commission of a felony as a second offense, distribution of a Class B substance as a second offense, and possession of a Class B substance with intent to distribute as a second offense.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)