At his inquest, the jury returned a verdict of "justifiable homicide", possibly due to dislike of the new police force. Grantham was held to have contributed to his own death by "over-exertion in the discharge of his duty".
During the inquest, the jury found the cause of death as "justifiable homicide", which might be attributed to their disapproval of the new police force. The jury also suggested that Grantham's own demise could have been influenced by "over-exertion while performing his duties".