But then Gardner declared that she would not prosecute possession of marijuana cases if the amount was less than 100 grams.

Police Chief John Hayden said the shooting happened about 12:50 a.m. Thursday in the 3900 block of Garfield Avenue. The street, largely vacant lots choked in weeds, is west of Vandeventer Avenue in the Greater Ville neighborhood.

The area, inside “Hayden’s rectangle” — a section of the city the chief has targeted for extra crime-reduction efforts — has a reputation for “heavy” drug activity, Hayden said.

Officers in uniform were patrolling the stretch in a two-man patrol car, when they noticed a car parked on Garfield with several people around it. The officers went up to the car and talked to Shepherd, the driver.

“They noticed the occupant had marijuana on his lap,” Hayden said.

The officers asked Shepherd to get out of the car, but he refused, police said. The officers opened the car door and “removed” Shepherd from the car to arrest him, police said.