CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Cook County prosecutors have filed charges against two brothers in connection with the weekend shooting that killed a Chicago police officer and put her partner in the hospital in critical condition, Supt. David Brown said Monday.
Emonte Morgan, 21, and Eric Morgan, 22, face a litany of felony charges in the Saturday shooting in West Englewood that killed Officer Ella French and left her partner fighting for his life at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Emonte Morgan was charged with first-degree murder of a peace officer, two counts of attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, according to the Cook County state’s attorney office.
Eric Morgan was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and obstruction of justice, the state’s attorney office said.
Both offenders are due in court Tuesday.
A third person had been taken into custody Sunday but no charges have been filed.
Police Officer Ella French, 29, was mortally wounded late Saturday when she and two other officers were conducting a traffic stop near 63rd and Bell in Englewood.
One of the suspects was injured.
Brown said the traffic stop in Englewood Saturday night was for expired plates.
He was asked if so-called “reverse seniority” -- assigning younger officers to potentially dangerous duties -- figures into the equation.
“One person did this, not reverse seniority," Brown said. "Not any other reasons than this person killed her and tried to kill other officers. And I won’t entertain finger-pointing at anyone or anything else.
“They need to be fully held accountable for her murder.”
French's partner was seriously wounded. The partner is improving “incrementally," Brown said.
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Also Monday, federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against an Indiana man who allegedly acted as the so-called straw purchaser of the handgun used in the shooting.
Jamel Danzy, 29, of Hammond, was arrested Sunday and is being held in federal custody pending a detention hearing set for Wednesday afternoon.
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Supt. Brown added that police officers in Chicago were feeling discouraged, angry and alone.
“They feel alone, they feel unsupported they feel like no one appreciates the work they do. They’re human so they have a lot of expressions of discouragement, and I would just ask the people of Chicago to support their police officers with kind words of support,” Brown said.
He also said officers feel “a lot of anger towards what has been a consistent beatdown of them, not just on social media, from different parts of our society, just constant, constant criticism, hypercriticism to a certain extent.”
Police, Brown said, don’t get enough acknowledgment for the good that they do.
“It’s past time to stop this imbalanced treatment of police officers in Chicago and everywhere in this country. We’re flawed, just like this media gallery is flawed, just like every profession in our country is flawed, but they go down dark allies none of you would go down to protect you. They run toward bullets.”