Jaferell Grant appeals the denial of his motion for new trial, as amended, and his convictions and sentences for felony murder while in the commission of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of the felony of aggravated assault in connection with the fatal shooting of Stephen Davis. Grant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence of his guilt and the denial of his motion for a mistrial based upon allegedly improper and prejudicial character evidence from a State’s witness. For the reasons which follow, the challenges are without merit and we affirm.1
The evidence construed in favor of the verdicts showed the following. Grant’s stepbrother, Jewara Sonny Milliner, and John Jaybo Robinson lived in the same apartment complex, and were involved in a feud stemming from an incident between their girlfriends, respectively Dana Watkins and Latasha Smith. On September 27, 2008, Milliner called Grant, and asked for Grant to come over because Milliner believed that Robinson had assembled a group of people and planned to jump him. Grant arrived at Milliner’s apartment with three or four other men. Grant was armed with a pistol with a laser sight. One of the men with Grant then brought eight or nine other people to the scene. As the men arrived, they gathered around Milliner near Robinson’s porch. The men were all armed with semi-automatic handguns with laser sights. One of the men knocked on Robinson’s door and asked what’s up between you and Sonny But when the assembled group discovered that Robinson had his children in his apartment and not a gathering of men, the group decided it would leave. However, the group was angry because it could not complete its mission, and it was very hyped. At this time, Chase Thirty Eight Simpson exited his nearby apartment, approached the group of men which included Grant, and was rapping, offending some members with his lyrics. The group began to congregate near Simpson. Group members pulled up their shirts to reveal their weapons, leading Simpson to retreat towards his own door; he was followed by four or five men from the group. A group member then struck Simpson in the face with a pistol, and the group members drew their weapons. Stephen Davis exited Simpson’s apartment to help Simpson. As Davis was pulling Simpson towards his apartment, the group members began firing; at least two and possibly five pistols were fired. Davis was fatally shot twice in the back.
