Harrowing body camera footage of the moment Chicago police officer Ella Fletch was shot and killed in the line of duty was played in court this week, showing the heartbreaking cries of her co-worker begging her to stay with him.
Court officials, family members and lawyers watched in horror Tuesday as the footage was played to decide whether it should be allowed in full in shooter Emonte Morgan’s murder trial, which is scheduled to begin next week. Ta.
In August 2021, French’s body camera captured the gunshots that rang out as the 29-year-old police officer was shot and killed and his partner, Officer Carlos Yanez Jr., was seriously injured. NBC Chicago reported.
“French, Yanez. Please stay with me,” another officer was heard repeatedly pleading. According to the Chicago Sun-Times.
French, a third-year police officer, died from his injuries, and his partner spent several weeks in a local hospital recovering from gunshot wounds to the eye, brain and shoulder.
The video “depicts the cold-blooded murder and attempted murder of two police officers and is irrefutable,” said John Catanzara, president of the local Fraternal Order of Police, who attended the hearing along with the families of the fallen. He later spoke to the Sun-Times. Policeman.
A lawyer representing Morgan, now 23, asked the judge to restrict some of the audio from the video. The video was played on a television set away from the audience, facing the lawyers and judge.
They argued that some of what was said during the argument was unduly unfavorable to their client and included hearsay, according to the Sun-Times.
But prosecutors said they had already muted some of the audio they agreed could be prejudicial, including unspecified comments made by Yanez as he lay injured.
He also asked jurors to be allowed to hear statements from a third officer at the scene, Officer Joshua Blass, as he reacted to seeing two of his colleagues shot.
Judge Ursula Walowski agreed, calling the evidence “highly relevant” to Morgan’s criminal trial, which is scheduled to begin with jury selection on Monday.
Catanzara said it was clear from the footage that no excessive force was used before the shooting.
“It was a textbook traffic stop, but it wasn’t,” he said.
Morgan’s brother, Eric Morgan, 25, ultimately pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful use of a weapon, assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated obstruction of justice.
He was sentenced to seven years in prison.
