CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is generally not appreciated or respected in law enforcement circles due to her anti-police politics. It was never more evident then late Saturday night when more than two dozen officers reportedly turned their backs when greeted by the contentious mayor at the University Medical Center where two wounded officers were transported. One officer did not survive while the second remains in critical condition.
CPD Officer Ella French, 29, was was fatally shot during a traffic stop Saturday night, while her partner continues to battle for his life at the hospital.
The critically injured officer suffered three gunshot wounds: One exited an eye, one lodged in the back of the head and one struck his shoulder, Law Officer reported.
As Lightfoot visited the hospital around midnight Saturday, about 30 officers turned their backs to her when she approached them on the 7th floor, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
“It looked like it had been choreographed,” a source told the news outlet.
Police Officer Ella French
End of Watch: August 7, 2021We will #NeverForget the true bravery she exemplified as she laid her life down to protect others.
Please hold her family, loved ones and fellow Chicago Police officers in your thoughts as we grieve the loss of this hero. pic.twitter.com/kEUlNTv0Z4
— Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) August 8, 2021
Chicago Police Department Supt. David Brown said Sunday that French, her partner and another officer were fired upon after approaching a vehicle with three occupants during a traffic stop in West Englewood on Saturday. All three suspects have subsequently been captured, Fox News reported.
The critically wounded male officer’s father, who is a retired Chicago cop, also gave the mayor an earful when she tried to talk to him, sources told the Sun-Times. During the tense exchange, she reportedly remained calm and attentive while he blamed her for the devastating circumstances.
The mayor’s press office provided a statement to Fox, which said, “In a time of tragedy, emotions run high and that is to be expected.”
“The Mayor spoke to a range of officers that tragic night and sensed the overwhelming sentiment was about concern for their fallen colleagues,” the statement read. “As the Mayor stated yesterday, now is not the time for divisive and toxic rhetoric or reporting. This is a time for us to come together as a city. We have a common enemy and it is the conditions that breed the violence and the manifestations of violence, namely illegal guns, and gangs. The Mayor is focused on healing the wounds and will reject any and all that try to use this moment to drive further divisions in our city.”
