Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was given the cold shoulder as officers turned their back on her as she arrived at a local hospital after two police officers were shot Saturday night.
CPD Officer Ella French was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop over the weekend. Her partner is fighting for his life in the Chicago Medical Center.
About 30 officers turned their backs on Lightfoot who arrived at the hospital to provide comfort, according to The Chicago Sun-Times.
The male officer, who has not been identified, is the son of a former CPD officer. He declined to speak to the mayor, according to the Sun–Times sources. In fact, the father reportedly yelled at Lightfoot who reportedly remained calm and listened to him and the family.
Sources are reporting that all efforts by the mayor to comfort grieving officers were rebuffed.
“They did the about-face — it looked like it had been choreographed,” said one of the sources present to the Sun-Times, calling it “astounding.”
Lightfoot reportedly appeared shaken by the show of disapproval and then left to speak to reporters.
“The police officers’ decision to turn their backs on the mayor while waiting with the family on the 7th floor was significant,” FOP President John Catanzara told the Sun-Times in an interview. “Turning their backs on the mayor was an excellent example of how the hundreds of police officers felt waiting outside the hospital.”
Catanzara said that CPD officers no longer support Lightfoot’s leadership respective to her management of the nation’s second-largest police force.
“They have had enough and are no longer going to remain silent anymore,” he noted.
For her part, Lightfoot’s office released a statement Monday saying, “The mayor was present at the emergency room to offer support and condolences to the families involved and the hundreds of line officers and exempts who were there, which she did. 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.”
“As the mayor stated . . . 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.”
Emonte Morgan, aka Monte Morgan, 21, is charged with first-degree murder of a peace officer, attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer (two counts), aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon for the murder of Officer French.
His brother, Eric Morgan, 22, is charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, and obstruction of justice for his role in the alleged crime, according to a local CBS report.
A fellow CPD officer said, “She (Officer French) did this job because she wanted to make a difference. She was confident, fearless, a little crazy – but that girl was absolutely courageous.”
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