A man with a lengthy criminal record has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for shooting at three Chicago police officers who were trying to help his former girlfriend get her dog back during a dispute in Rogers Park nearly six years ago.
Kenneth Olugbode, 37, pleaded guilty Monday to three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm toward a peace officer before Judge Sharon Kanter, who sentenced him to 21 years on each count, to be served concurrently.
No officers were struck by gunfire during the December 8, 2020, confrontation near Clark and Devon. Olugbode, however, was shot multiple times when the officers returned fire, suffering wounds to his shoulders, right hip, and right hand.
The confrontation was the culmination of a two-day dispute that began when Olugbode accused his former girlfriend of stealing money from him, officials said. The day before the confrontation with police, Olugbode showed up at the woman’s home and accused her of taking his money, waving a firearm while demanding its return and ordering her to accompany him to his home to search for it.
The woman became increasingly frightened during the drive to Olugbode’s home and tried to get out of the vehicle, but Olugbode grabbed her and forced her back inside, prosecutors said. At the house, Olugbode did not have the gun out, but he still had it with him as he yelled and demanded that she continue looking for his money, according to prosecutors.
When Olugbode went into another room, the woman escaped and called police. As she spoke with officers outside, she saw Olugbode drive away. The officers later saw a message Olugbode sent the woman containing a video of her dog inside his vehicle. In it, he threatened to kill the animal or put it in the trunk if she did not bring him his money, prosecutors said.
The woman continued communicating with Olugbode because she wanted her dog back and offered to give him whatever money he wanted in exchange for the dog.
The morning of the shooting, she contacted police and told them she and Olugbode were arranging to meet for an exchange. She wanted officers to be nearby. Officers were traveling in unmarked vehicles when the woman informed them that Olugbode’s car was following them. The officers allowed him to pass before activating their emergency equipment. Olugbode continued driving, disregarding traffic signals, until officers boxed in his vehicle in the 6900 block of North Ravenswood, officials said.
As officers ordered him to show his hands, Olugbode allegedly got out of the vehicle and stood behind its open door. He raised a firearm and pointed it toward three officers, then fired twice, prosecutors said.
The officers returned fire, shooting a combined 19 rounds. Olugbode’s vehicle, which had not been put in park, rolled forward and struck a squad car. Body-worn camera footage captured the shooting, according to the prosecution’s account, but a judge’s order has prevented the city from releasing it to the public.
Olugbode’s criminal history includes convictions for aggravated battery causing great bodily harm in 2008, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon in 2012 and 2016, and felony drug possession in 2014.
Olugbode unsuccessfully sought release from pretrial detention under the SAFE-T Act last year. A state appellate court upheld the decision to keep him detained after he challenged the circuit court’s ruling. In seeking release, Olugbode presented witnesses in his support, including a Chicago Reader news editor who had previously worked for a prison reform organization and had known Olugbode for two years, according to the appellate opinion.
At the time of the Chicago shooting, Olugbode also had an outstanding warrant in Louisiana charging him with attempted second-degree murder. As recently as last December, prosecutors said the Louisiana warrant was still active.
That case stemmed from an October 2020 home invasion in New Iberia, Louisiana, in which three men posed as delivery drivers to get inside a home. They restrained the residents with zip ties and duct tape, prosecutors said. One of the men, identified as Olugbode, allegedly beat the male resident with a handgun and threatened to kill him. The intruders stole photography and videography equipment valued at $30,000 to $35,000. The male victim identified Olugbode from security footage, recognizing his distinctive eyewear and facial features, according to court filings.
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