2 min read

Indiana man admits buying gun used to kill Chicago cop

A northwestern Indiana man pleaded guilty Wednesday to making an illegal “straw” purchase of a handgun that was later used to kill a Chicago police officer during a traffic stop.
Indiana man admits buying gun used to kill Chicago cop
Officer Ella French was killed, and Officer Carlos Yanez Jr. was critically wounded, when two brothers they had pulled over opened fire last August.

CHICAGO (AP) — A northwestern Indiana man pleaded guilty Wednesday to making an illegal “straw” purchase of a handgun that was later used to kill a Chicago police officer during a traffic stop.

Jamel Danzy, 30, of Hammond, entered the plea to one count of federal firearm conspiracy during a videoconference before U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman.[1]

Danzy could get up to a year and four months in prison when he's sentenced on Oct. 28.

Officer Ella French was killed and her partner was critically wounded last August after they stopped an SUV with expired tags on Chicago's South Side. Two brothers who were in the SUV, Eric and Emonte Morgan, are awaiting trial on first-degree murder charges.

Danzy bought the gun used in the shooting in March 2021 from a licensed dealer in Hammond, Indiana, records show. Danzy admitted to federal agents that he bought the weapon for someone who had a felony record and could not buy a gun for himself.

Authorities allege that the gun Danzy bought was for someone who wasn’t allowed to buy guns and was used in the shooting.

The same gun was found in a yard where Eric Morgan was arrested on the night of French’s killing, prosecutors said.


Subscribe to the Chicago Journal


The Chicago Journal needs your support.

At just $12/year, your subscription not only helps us grow, it helps maintain our commitment to independent publishing.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE


Subscribe to the Chicago Journal

Notes & References


  1. Tarm, Michael. “2 Brothers Charged in Fatal Shooting of Chicago Officer.” AP NEWS. Associated Press, August 10, 2021. https://apnews.com/article/health-shootings-chicago-indiana-coronavirus-pandemic-70cff2195bcae0ae0f341a15e47ee653. ↩︎