A convicted felon was charged Wednesday in the deadly shooting of Chicago Police Officer Enrique Martinez that erupted during a traffic stop earlier this week in the South Side Chatham neighborhood and also claimed the life of the vehicle’s driver.
Darion McMillian, 23, from Harvey, faces felony charges of first-degree murder in the killings Monday night in the 8000 block of South Ingleside Avenue, Police Supt. Larry Snelling told reporters at Public Safety Headquarters.
McMillian also faces felony counts of attempted murder of a police officer, burglary, possession of a machine gun and possession of a gun as a felon, Snelling said.
Mayor Brandon Johnson and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx joined Snelling to announce the charges. Foxx said McMillian is expected to appear at an initial court hearing Thursday at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.
Another person who was arrested after the shooting was released without charges on Tuesday.
McMillian allegedly opened fire when officers attempted to stop the vehicle carrying him, the second suspect and the other person who was killed. At least one officer fired back, Snelling has said.
The superintendent said the shooting “sounded like rapid gunfire,” and an officer reported over police radio that one of the vehicle’s occupants was armed with an “automatic weapon.”
McMillian ran from the vehicle after initially trying to drive away, Snelling said, but he was arrested after a brief foot chase and search of the area. Officers recovered a handgun from the person who was fatally shot inside the vehicle, along with another gun with an extended magazine.
Martinez was rushed by other officers to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Snelling said. The slain Gresham District officer would have marked three years on the job in December.
Mayor Johnson told reporters gathered outside the hospital that Martinez had “courageously protected this city.”
“This tragic loss cuts deep; the wound is severe,” he said. “The only way we’ll get through this tragic loss is if we put our arms around one another and recognize the value, the bravery of our police department, who put their lives on the line for us every day.”
Alleged shooter was already facing charges
McMillian had been placed on electronic monitoring in Will County. But earlier this week, Snelling said the tracking device had been cut off and police were investigating.
A spokesperson for the Will County state’s attorney’s office said prosecutors are cooperating with the state’s pretrial services office and Chicago police.
The Will County sheriff’s office issued a warrant for McMillian’s arrest last month, and he was charged with a felony for allegedly trying to foil a drug test, according to court records. At the time, McMillian was already facing felony cannabis charges.
Chicago police arrested him Oct. 11 on the warrant, and he was later turned over to Will County authorities, court records show. After he was released on electronic monitoring in the new case, Will County prosecutors sought to have him detained pending trial on the cannabis charges. That case was continued on Oct. 28.
McMillian previously pleaded guilty to a felony charge of shooting into a vehicle in May 2021, court records show.
While he was being held in jail in that case, he was hit with additional felony charges stemming from a group attack on another inmate. He pleaded guilty to a battery charge that was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor on the same day as his other plea deal.
McMillian was sentenced to four years in jail in the shooting case, as well as mandatory supervised release, records show. He had already served 728 days, and he was only given fines and forced to pay court costs in the other case.
On Monday, Snelling said officials have to do more to prevent “repeat offenders” from committing crimes.
“We cannot allow people to continue to wreak havoc on this city, to victimize people with violent crimes, robberies, shootings,” he said. “The trauma that they’re causing for families and for individuals that they’re attacking, they can never get that back.”