A man who shot a Chicago police officer in the face in Lincoln Park and then yelled, “You will die!” pleaded guilty Monday to attempted murder and was sentenced to 35 years in prison, court records show.
The events leading up to the October 2021 shooting began earlier that day when a 21-year-old woman picked McPherson up at his Elgin home to run errands in downtown Chicago, according to officials. During the drive, the woman spoke by phone with the father of her child, allegedly causing McPherson to become angry and take her phone away.
Prosecutors said McPherson then pulled out a handgun, pressed it against the woman’s side, told her where to drive, and threatened to kill her while continuing to hold the weapon against her body.
During an initial court hearing, prosecutors said McPherson forced the woman to exit the Kennedy Expressway at North Avenue by grabbing the steering wheel. She eventually stopped at the strip mall in the 1000 block of West North Avenue, where a police squad car was stationed because of recent mob-style shoplifting incidents at an Ulta Beauty store.
The woman told McPherson she was going into Ulta and entered the store. McPherson followed her inside and began causing a disturbance while the woman sought help from employees. One worker called 911, and another alerted two officers who were sitting in the nearby squad car.
Store employees hid the woman in a dressing room as McPherson became increasingly aggressive while officers attempted to calm the situation. At one point, prosecutors said, McPherson ripped an officer’s COVID-19 mask off and grabbed the officer in a bear hug.
McPherson then moved into the parking lot, sat inside the woman’s car with the door open, and allegedly told an officer, “I got a gun, too.”
“What? You want to fight?” McPherson allegedly asked the officer as body-worn camera footage recorded the encounter. “I’m not leaving. This is a good a** gun, too, b****.”
After an officer alerted others that McPherson was armed, McPherson allegedly responded, “Y’all not going to get this. I’m too strong for this s***.”
Prosecutors said McPherson then pulled a handgun from beneath his legs and pointed it at the first officer, who could see directly down the barrel of the weapon. The officer grabbed the gun and pushed it away from his face. Two shots were fired, and one bullet struck the officer in the cheek, causing a through-and-through wound.
“You will die,” McPherson allegedly told the wounded officer, according to body-worn camera footage.
Additional officers rushed to the vehicle and took McPherson into custody. McPherson allegedly admitted firing the gun but claimed officers shot at him first. Prosecutors said Chicago police officers did not fire any shots during the encounter.
At the time of the shooting, McPherson was on probation in Kane County for felony aggravated fleeing and eluding and felony possession of a controlled substance. As a juvenile, he was adjudicated delinquent for aggravated battery causing great bodily harm in 2012 and for armed robbery in both 2013 and 2015.
Judge Michael Hood sentenced McPherson, who must serve 85% of his 35-year term.
