He acknowledges, however, a conclusion that is painfully obvious: "We lost the battle."
Grant comes from an accomplished family - graduation photos of relatives getting bachelor's and master's degrees adorn the walls of his home - and he did not have a criminal record as an adult, though he had a minor juvenile rap sheet. Berry was once charged with stealing a car, but the case was dropped. When they died, both were unemployed but each was carrying more than $1,000 in cash.
That tells only part of their story.
Berry had gone to live with the Grants after his mother died three years ago of liver failure, and his relatives tried to make sure he succeeded.
Grant Jr. and Berry were inseparable, relatives who were also best friends. They were popular and could take on anybody in a pickup basketball game.
"They were like stars around here," said their grandmother, Hortense Grant, 82.
Grant Jr. did well in math but lost interest in school and began "getting into scrapes," his father said. He eventually dropped out. Berry, meanwhile, remained in school, playing football and basketball, earning recognition as one of The Baltimore Sun's "players to watch" in his senior year.
This fall, Berry moved across town and enrolled at Morgan State University, where he hoped to walk on to the football team and study history. The cousins stayed close.
The first shooting occurred June 19. Police believe Grant Jr. and Berry were with the victim, Brian Goodwyn, 21, in the 500 block of Bloom St., just two blocks from the Grant home. Goodwyn was approached by an unknown person who fired several shots and fled. Berry held Goodwyn's head in his hands as he gasped his last breaths.
About 100 people gathered for a quiet vigil a few days later, and the area was marked by graffiti remembrances and balloons and empty bottles of Grey Goose vodka and champagne. "How U Feel Haters. Your Hating Didn't Work!" read one message. At a community meeting, one resident declared, "This is not a violent block."
Grant Sr. said that police believed his son had seen something that could help solve the killing and offered to place him in a witness protection program if he talked. Police said Grant Jr. and Berry refused to cooperate.
"It was a non-issue. He didn't see anything, and there was no need" to enter a protection program, Grant's father said.
They pair was re-interviewed Aug. 5. Again, they offered nothing and refused protection.
