Chicago Police Officer Ella French was fatally shot in West Englewood on Aug. 7, 2021. Emonte Morgan was convicted of murdering French and wounding her partner, Carlos Yanez.
Chicago Police Department
Two years ago, in federal court, Elizabeth French told the straw purchaser of the gun used to kill the young woman she took in as a foster child decades earlier, “Your choices took my daughter from me forever.”
The following year, the grieving mother faced another man who was sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in the 2021 murder of Chicago Police Officer Ella French.
“My faith tells me to forgive,” French then told Eric Morgan in a Cook County courtroom. “I’m not ready for that yet.”
Gazing at Eric Morgan’s younger brother Emonte, the gunman convicted Tuesday of firing the fatal shot that summer night, was likely even more painfully trying for French’s family and friends these last few days during Emonte’s trial. The only thing worse may have been watching the video from French’s body-worn camera, which captured her last breaths, play over and over again in court.
Nothing can bring back the fallen officer, described as someone who wanted to uplift her city and the communities she served. Still, we hope there’s some sense of justice and a path toward closure for her loved ones following Emonte Morgan’s conviction.
Elizabeth French didn’t talk to reporters after jurors found Emonte Morgan guilty of murder and attempted murder.
She may have something to say at a later date when the 23-year-old is sentenced at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, closing a dark chapter in the tragedy that unraveled during a routine traffic stop in West Englewood.
French’s partners — Carlos Yanez, who was seriously wounded during the incident, and Joshua Blas — may also have messages to relay to Emonte Morgan, probably less courteous than the ones heard on the video footage played during the gunman’s trial.
The officers sounded polite and even apologized for the inconvenience after pulling over the Honda CRV the Morgans and a young woman were traveling in in 2021, the Sun-Times Matthew Hendrickson reported.
The brothers didn’t return the favor, according to prosecutors. Eric Morgan fled. Emonte Morgan started shooting when the officers tried to take his arms after he started arguing, and rejected Yanez’s repeated commands to put his cellphone and drink down. Emonte was also shot, but was able to hand his brother the weapon.
Emonte Morgan will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars, all because of an incident that began because the SUV he was in was believed to have an expired registration. That’s a telling indication of how dangerous policing can be, even in what starts out as the most mundane of circumstances.
That French, 29, died “doing what she was called to do,” gave her mother some solace, she said at the time. Hopefully, Tueday’s verdict brings her and French’s other loved ones additional peace.
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