A jury in Chicago, Illinois, found a 23-year-old man named Emonte Morgan guilty of murdering a police officer and trying to shoot two other officers during a traffic stop in August 2021. The officer killed was Ella French, and her partner, Carlos Yañez, was seriously injured.
Morgan will be sentenced later, but there's a court hearing scheduled for April 19th to discuss any concerns before sentencing. The charges against Morgan include murder and trying to murder two other officers.
The jury reached their decision after a few hours of discussion. They believed Morgan meant to shoot Officer French, her partner, and another officer who arrived at the scene.
Morgan's lawyers argued that he didn't mean to shoot anyone. They said he had a gun hidden in his pants during the traffic stop, but it accidentally went off when he tried to put it away. They also argued that the police shouldn't have pulled him over in the first place because his license plate wasn't expired, unlike what the police said.
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However, the prosecutors argued that Morgan fired multiple shots. Yañez was shot several times and almost died. He can't be a police officer anymore because of his injuries. He testified that he was shot five times and lost his right eye. He also said he was paralyzed for a while but can now walk without help. Some bullet pieces are still stuck in his body because it's too dangerous to take them out.
The prosecutor said it's amazing Yañez is even alive.
Morgan's brother, Eric, is already in prison for seven years for his involvement in the incident. Another man, Jamel Danz, got two and a half years for illegally buying the gun used to kill Officer French.
The police department and the city of Chicago are sad about Officer French's death. They say she was a good officer who put her life on the line to help others.
Her brother described her as kind and someone who believed in helping people, even though she saw problems with the police force.
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