Suspect in Echols shooting arrested
A 35-year-old man surrendered to police late Monday afternoon in connection with the shooting of professional boxer Antwun Echols.  Tuesday, July 31, 2007 
 

James Lee Grant, of Davenport, who has a history of violence, faced warrants on charges of willful injury, going armed with intent and felon in possession of a firearm, according to police. He is in the Scott County Jail awaiting a court appearance.

Echols was shot in the leg during a dispute Sunday night in the parking lot of a Davenport business.

Grant has been convicted twice of interference with official acts causing injury and served 240 days in the Scott County Jail for a 2003 conviction, according to court records. Charges of assault while displaying a weapon and willful injury were dismissed last year, while burglary and assault charges against him were dismissed in 2000.

Echols, 35, of 1704 E. 13th St., Davenport, was treated and released following the shooting that occurred about 9 p.m. in the 400 block of East Locust Street. He appeared in Scott County District Court Monday morning on a misdemeanor drug possession charge. Police say he had a small bag of crack cocaine on him when police arrived. He also had four outstanding warrants for failure to pay child support.

Steven Lee Hodges, 34, of 625 LeClaire St., Davenport, who police say was fighting with Grant when Echols intervened and was shot, is also charged with misdemeanor drug possession and disorderly conduct for fighting.

Police say Hodges and Grant know each other, and Grant, who was riding in a sport utility vehicle, approached Hodges, and a verbal dispute grew physical. The men brawled and Hodges fell to the ground outside the Save-A-Lot, 405 E. Locust St. As Grant kicked the other man, Echols intervened and Grant drew his gun and shot Echols in the leg, police say

Grant fled from the scene in the SUV with a woman who wasn’t involved in the fight, police said.

What sparked the fight hasn’t been determined, Capt. David Struckman said. He added Echols and Hodges have been helpful to some extent.

“We would like a little higher level of cooperation,” he said.

Officers have some surveillance video that has been helpful, Struckman said.

Echols, with a career 31-7-3 record and 27 knockouts as a boxer, has been involved in a shooting before and has had several scrapes with the law.

In 2003, he was treated and released after being struck in the armpit by a bullet during a drive-by shooting in Davenport. Less than a month after that incident, Echols was arrested in Rock Island for being in possession of a handgun.

Robbery and assault charges against Echols in 2000 were dismissed, as were charges of going armed with intent and felon in possession of a firearm in 1998, according to court records.

He was convicted in 1993 of assault causing bodily injury and sentenced to one year in the Scott County Jail and added an extra six months to his sentence when he pleaded guilty in 1994 for voluntary absence, according to court records. 

Echols also was fined in 1994 and 1995 for misdemeanor assault convictions, according to court records.

Echols last won a professional fight on Dec. 12, 2004. His most recent fight was a loss to Fulgencio Zuniga on June 23, and he has lost twice with two draws in his most recent four fights.

He fought Bernard Hopkins twice for the International Boxing Federation middleweight title, with Hopkins winning by unanimous decision in 1999 and by a technical knockout a year later. More recently, he lost a unanimous decision against Anthony Mundine in 2003 for the vacant World Boxing Association super middleweight title.

Kurt Allemeier can be contacted at (563) 383-2360 or kallemeier@qctimes.com