(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — An Indiana man prosecutors have linked to the murder of Chicago Police Officer Ella French has been ordered released as he waits for trial, and the city's police superintendent calls that “an outrage.”
Jamel Danzy, 29, is accused of being the straw purchaser of the .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol that was used to kill Officer French on Saturday night in Englewood. Her partner was critically wounded when motorist Emonte Morgan allegedly opened fire on the officers during a traffic stop.
Prosecutors have said Morgan was in an SUV registered to Danzy at the time of the incident.
Danzy, a restaurant worker, allegedly bought the firearm in March and then illegally turned it over to a felon in Chicago.
A federal magistrate judge ordered Danzy released on a $4,500 personal recognizance bond and court supervision.
Magistrate Judge Jeffery Gilbert's decision drew condemnation from Chicago Police Supt. David Brown, who usually criticizes Cook County courts for what he calls lenient treatment of offenders.
“When I heard this afternoon that a federal judge had released the man who illegally purchased and then supplied the gun used to murder Officer Ella French, I could not believe it,” Brown said in a statement.
“It is an outrage.”
Brown said the decision sets a “dangerous precedent” for cases involving accused straw purchasers of guns.
Accused shooter Emonte Morgan and his brother, Eric, have been denied bail by judges in Cook County.
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