Montgomery Shooting: 14-Year Sentence in Roadside Gun Case

It came out of nowhere on a busy stretch of Atlanta Highway in Montgomery, Alabama. On March 16, 2024, gunfire erupted near the Eastern Boulevard overpass, shattering the calm for drivers and residents alike. A Montgomery Police Department officer, already in the area, heard the shots and raced to the scene. What he found was a blue Dodge Challenger stalled in traffic, riddled with bullet holes, and three men walking away. One of them, 27-year-old Grenden James Jordan, tossed a firearm to the roadside, a move caught on the officer’s dash cam. The men scattered, leaving behind a trail of chaos.

The stakes escalated when bystanders became victims. A nearby car, carrying a family with a four-year-old child, took damage from the gunfire. Broken glass injured the child, who needed medical attention. Witnesses later told police the three men from the Dodge had traded shots with occupants of a red sedan that sped off before help arrived. For those caught in the crossfire, the incident was a stark jolt, a reminder of how quickly violence can spill over and upend lives.

Police recovered an AR-style pistol from where Jordan had thrown it, complete with a high-capacity drum magazine loaded with rounds. The investigation didn’t stop there. A search of Jordan’s home in April 2024 turned up two more firearms, painting a picture of habitual defiance. Jordan, with prior felony convictions, was legally barred from possessing any weapons. At his trial in January 2025, prosecutors presented a damning photo, one taken before the shooting, showing him posing with a pistol matching the one found at the scene. The jury didn’t take long to convict him.

The sentence handed down on April 9, 2025, was hefty: 174 months, or over 14 years, in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson called it a reflection of the danger Jordan posed, pointing to the reckless nature of the shootout. FBI Special Agent in Charge Rachel Byrd echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that such disregard for life, especially by someone already convicted of serious crimes, demanded a firm response. With no parole in the federal system, Jordan’s time behind bars is set.

This case ties directly into a nationwide push called Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Justice Department initiative relaunched with vigor in 2017. It brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement to target violent offenders and cut crime rates. Research from Michigan State University shows the program has delivered results, linking it to a 13.1% drop in violent crime in cities where it’s fully embraced. In Montgomery, the collaboration between the FBI and local police exemplifies this approach, aiming to keep streets safer by locking up repeat offenders like Jordan.

Yet the issue runs deeper than one arrest. Gun violence remains a stubborn problem in urban areas across the U.S., often hitting hardest in neighborhoods already wrestling with poverty and neglect. Studies reveal that over half of the nation’s gun homicides in 2023 were clustered in just 42 cities, Montgomery among them. While some cities report declines, the toll on communities, from traumatized kids to shuttered businesses, lingers. Advocates for community-based solutions argue that policing alone isn’t enough; investments in jobs, schools, and vacant lot cleanups could tackle the roots of the problem.

The dash cam footage that caught Jordan tossing the gun proved pivotal. Law enforcement relies more and more on such tools to piece together events with clarity. Courts have come to trust video evidence, with studies showing it boosts conviction rates in over 90% of cases where it’s used. For the prosecution, that clip was a linchpin, offering jurors an unfiltered look at the moment the crime unfolded. It’s a trend that’s reshaped investigations since dash cams first rolled out decades ago, giving officers a way to back up their accounts and fend off disputes.

Jordan’s 174-month sentence fits into a broader pattern of tough penalties for felons caught with firearms. Federal law bars anyone with a felony record from owning guns, a rule upheld by courts like the Sixth Circuit in recent years. While some defendants argue they’re no longer a threat, judges often lean on public safety concerns to justify long terms. Sentences have eased slightly since 2014, dropping from 72 to 55 months on average for non-career offenders, but Jordan’s case, tied to a public shooting, drew no such leniency.

The ripple effects of that day in March 2024 still echo. For the family hit by glass shards, it’s a memory of terror. For Montgomery, it’s another chapter in a struggle with violence that’s left scars on its streets and its people. The sentence closes one case, but the questions it raises, about guns, safety, and how to heal a community, aren’t so easily resolved.