A routine stop at a busy Edmondson Avenue gas station turned into a scene of chaos when a man opened fire on two bicyclists, sending them running and leaving seven 9mm shell casings scattered across the parking lot. Yesterday, that gunfire caught up with him in a big way: a Baltimore judge handed Antonio Grant an 80-year prison sentence for the May 5, 2025, shooting, with the first 15 years to be served without the possibility of parole.
Sentence and charges
According to FOX45, jurors convicted Grant of two counts of first-degree assault, use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence, and two counts of firearm possession by a prohibited person. Prosecutors then asked for a sentence stiff enough to send a message about gun violence in public places, and the court obliged.
State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said in a press release that “this lengthy sentence reflects the seriousness of the Defendant's violent and reckless actions,” and he credited investigators for stitching together the case. Prosecutors framed the 80-year term as part punishment, part warning, saying it is intended to hold repeat violent offenders accountable and to underscore that opening fire in a neighborhood commercial strip will draw serious time.
Evidence and investigation
Investigators said the case started with a ShotSpotter alert that drew officers to the Carroll Fuel station. From there, detectives pulled surveillance video that, according to FOX45, showed Grant walking from Big Boys Carryout to the gas station, lingering outside the store, then pulling a handgun and firing at two bicyclists.
Officers recovered seven spent 9mm shell casings from the parking lot. Eleven days later, on May 16, 2025, detectives executed a search warrant at Grant’s home and seized a Smith & Wesson M&P9 Shield EZ 9mm pistol, several boxes of ammunition, a white bulletproof vest, and clothing that appeared to match what was seen in the surveillance footage. A certified firearms examiner concluded that the casings were consistent with the recovered pistol. The two bicyclists, who were not identified in court records, left the scene after the shooting and did not remain to speak with police at the time.
ShotSpotter and policing
The investigation also served as a showcase for one of Baltimore’s more controversial crime-fighting tools: ShotSpotter. Police officials said the acoustic gunshot detection system helped get officers to the gas station quickly and set the broader case in motion.
The Baltimore Police Department says the technology is deployed across parts of the city to pick up gunfire that might never be called in, then direct patrol units to potential crime scenes. In this case, police credited the combination of the ShotSpotter alert and the surveillance video with helping them identify Grant and secure the arrest.
Legal implications
Prosecutors also pointed out that Grant was legally barred from having a gun at all. Court records note a 2015 conviction for possession with intent to distribute, which made him a prohibited person and led to the separate unlawful-possession counts in this case.
Maryland law places strict limits on who may possess or carry a handgun and stacks additional penalties on people with disqualifying convictions, with judges allowed to impose long, consecutive terms when firearm and violent-crime charges are proven, as described in Maryland General Assembly fiscal analyses. In this case, the judge ordered that the first 15 years of Grant’s 80-year sentence be served without the possibility of parole, a condition prosecutors said was meant to match the gravity of his conduct outside the gas station.
Community and precedent
The gas station shooting did not happen in a vacuum. The sentence comes amid a series of lengthy terms in recent Baltimore gun cases, as the State’s Attorney’s Office leans on maximum penalties in high-profile prosecutions. In March, the office announced a 70-year sentence for a shooter in a Penn North carryout attack, another case that drew attention for its lengthy prison time.
The State’s Attorney’s Office has said it hopes such outcomes deter future shootings and reassure victims and witnesses that violent cases will be taken seriously in court. Neighbors and shoppers who frequent the Edmondson Avenue strip told reporters that seeing someone open fire at bicyclists outside an everyday convenience stop felt brazen and unnerving, and city officials responded by vowing to keep targeting people who use guns in public spaces.
