A fugitive task force in Burlington, Iowa, arrested Jabari Edwards, 28, on Wednesday to face charges for allegedly shooting a Chicago police officer during a traffic stop on June 1. CPD Supt. David Brown said Edwards, who is charged with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, will be extradited to Chicago.
CWBChicago reported the day after the shooting that the suspected gunman had been on electronic monitoring while awaiting trial for being a felon in possession of a firearm—until prosecutors abruptly dropped the case in February, four months before the officer was shot.
We did not name the man in our report because he had not yet been charged with shooting the officer, but we can now confirm that the individual is Jabari Edwards.
Brown told reporters police were conducting a traffic stop in the 6100 block of South Paulina at 5:43 p.m. when Edwards opened fire. An image of the squad car tweeted by 16th & 17th District Chicago Police Scanner showed a bullet hole in the driver’s side windshield and another in the driver’s door. The bullet that hit the windshield reportedly fragmented, sending pieces into the officer’s head, shoulder, and neck.
Brown said the 27-year-old female officer is now recovering at home.
According to court records, Edwards was charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon in October 2020 after police said they found a loaded handgun under the driver’s side floor mat of a car he was driving. He was apparently not the registered owner of the vehicle.
During the Edwards’ bail hearing the same day, an assistant state’s attorney said police stopped him for a traffic violation and smelled alcohol coming from the car. The gun made a “visible bulge” in the floor mat, the prosecutor alleged, adding that Edwards was convicted of attempted robbery in 2012.
Court records show that Edwards posted a $500 bail deposit to go home and remained on electronic monitoring until the state dropped all charges in February. According to court records from the February hearing, prosecutors said they received new information, including documents that showed the person who owned the car Edwards was driving purchased the gun and possessed a valid Firearm Owner’s ID card and a concealed carry license.
