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CHICAGO - We have new information about the deadly shooting of a Chicago police officer. The gun used in the crime was allegedly bought by a man from Indiana.
On Monday, The US Attorney’s Office in Chicago indicted a Hammond man for illegally selling the gun that was used to shoot two Chicago police officers over the weekend, one fatally.
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Indiana man charged with buying gun used to shoot 2 Chicago cops, killing one
The gun used to shoot two Chicago cops over the weekend, killing Officer Ella French, was allegedly bought by a man from Indiana.
Officer Ella French, 29, was shot and killed Saturday evening as she and her Chicago police partner were making a traffic stop in West Englewood.
Her partner, a male officer who we are not identifying, was shot in the head and is fighting for his life, and was scheduled to undergo more surgery at University of Chicago Medical Center.
Three suspects are in Chicago police custody, but charges have not yet been filed.
Late Monday afternoon, federal officials charged Jamel Danzy of Indiana with conspiring to straw purchase the gun used in Saturday night’s attack.
Prosecutors say Danzy admitted he bought it on behalf of a friend in Chicago who couldn’t buy guns because of a criminal record.
Danzy bought the gun from a firearms dealer in Hammond and shortly after the purchase, gave the weapon to his friend in Chicago, according to a criminal complaint.
Gun used in shooting of two Chicago police officers.
Danzy made a court appearance Monday afternoon and is being held in federal custody. His next appearance is Wednesday.
"Straw purchasers and firearm traffickers enable violence with deadly consequences," United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois John R. Lausch, Jr. said in a statement. "Fighting violent crime is a top priority in our office, and we are committed to holding accountable those who engage in illicit firearm transactions."
The federal conspiracy charge against Danzy is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
FOX 32 talked to former Chicago Police Superintendent Phil Cline, who now heads the Police Memorial Foundation. He says there have been 38 Chicago police officers either shot at or shot this year.
"I don't think the gangbangers have any fear of the police," Cline said.