CHICAGO — A jury on Tuesday evening found Emonte Morgan guilty of murdering Chicago Police Officer Ella French and badly injuring her partner by opening fire on them during a traffic stop in August 2021.
The jury began deliberations earlier in the evening and returned its decision quickly.
According to court records, the panel found Morgan guilty of four counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Ursula Walowski scheduled a hearing on post-trial motions for April 19.
Morgan’s brother, Eric, was driving the SUV when French and Yanez approached their car for a traffic investigation on August 7, 2021. During the stop, Emonte Morgan pulled out a gun and killed French, state prosecutors alleged. Emonte Morgan also shot Yanez and tried to shoot a third officer who chased him after the first two officers were downed, prosecutors said.
Eric Morgan was sentenced to seven years in prison in October after he pleaded guilty to three felonies in connection with the case: destroying evidence, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon with a previous conviction. Eric Morgan was never accused of shooting French or Yanez.
In 2022, an Indiana man pleaded guilty to a federal firearms charge for providing the gun to Eric Morgan about five months before the ill-fated traffic stop.
