A five-dollar bag of weed resulted in a near miss for a Tacony homeowner and two bullet holes in his front window in September 2013. Earlier this month, a jury convicted an alleged pot dealer of what amounted to egregious overkill.
Technically, the jury found Sefferino Chevella Humphrey, 26, guilty of aggravated assault and three firearms violations. The jury was unable to agree on an attempted murder charge so Common Pleas Court Judge Carolyn Nichols declared a mistrial on that count.
According to Assistant District Attorney Tracie Gaydos, Humphrey’s target, Nafees Grant, 23, testified that he went to the area of Vandike and Unruh streets on Sept. 18, 2013, to buy a nickel bag. Humphrey was dealing. Grant handed Humphrey the cash, but the dealer refused to surrender the dope.
The two began to fistfight. After eight or nine minutes, Humphrey was losing and pulled a gun. Grant ran, so Humphrey fired four shots toward him. One slug struck Grant in the arm. Two others entered the front of a house and shot through the living room. The owner was upstairs watching TV in the front bedroom. He was not harmed.
Police later found Humphrey in an abandoned house with a gun. During the four-day trial, he argued self-defense. The jury disagreed after a day of deliberations. Nichols will sentence Humphrey on Oct. 2. ••
