Federal Charges Filed in Death of Trooper Hopkins

Federal charges have been filed in the shooting death of State Trooper Nicholas Hopkins. The 33-year-old Hopkins was killed in the line of duty while attempting to execute a state search warrant in East St. Louis last August.

(TROOPER NICHOLAS HOPKINS)

On Wednesday, a federal grand jury in East St. Louis returned an eight-count indictment charging 46-year-old Christopher Grant with several federal crimes, including using a firearm to murder Trooper Hopkins in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

According to the federal indictment, Grant was using the house where the warrant was executed to distribute controlled substances. The indictment charges that Grant knowingly fired a Glock pistol, causing the trooper's death.

Grant has been held in state custody on first degree murder charges since the shooting occurred. His initial appearance and arraignment on the federal charges has not yet been scheduled.