Court documents revealed new details in how the fatal shooting of Chicago police officer Enrique Martinez unfolded. NBC Chicago’s Charlie Wojciechowski reports.
The man accused of fatally shooting an on-duty Chicago police officer and another man appeared in court Thursday, with documents revealing additional details on what led up to the brazen shooting.
Enrique Martinez, 26, who was just shy of his third anniversary with the Chicago Police Department, was shot and killed Monday evening during a traffic stop in the city's East Chatham neighborhood.
Darian McMillian, a 23-year-old man, has been charged with the murder of Martinez as well as Mario Chambers, the driver of the vehicle McMillian was in at the time of the shooting.
According to court documents, Martinez and his partner, identified as Officer Nunez, were dispatched just before 8 p.m. Monday to 8204 S. Ingleside Ave. regarding an unrelated call.
Upon arrival, both officers determined the information that led to the response was false and left the scene shortly thereafter, the bond court proffer said.
As the officers drove away, they saw a black Ford Escape with a temporary Wisconsin license plate that had fraudulent registration and an inoperable tail light that was double parked in the roadway at 8040 S. Ingleside Ave., according to court documents.
The officers then pulled up to the passenger side of the vehicle and exited their marked squad car to conduct a traffic stop, with Martinez approaching the driver's side and Nunez approaching the passenger's side, the proffer said.
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The Escape was occupied by three people, with Chambers seated in the driver's seat and McMillian in the passenger seat. The proffer said McMillian was wearing eyeglasses with his dreadlocks pulled back, a Blackhawks jersey with insignia on the sleeve as well as red and white Air Jordan 4 shoes.
A witness was also seated in the rear passenger side while asleep, court documents revealed.
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As Martinez and Nunez approached the vehicle, other officers who were initially called to the area for the original unfounded call also approached the car. At this time, McMillian was holding a backpack near his chest before placing it on the front passenger floorboard while reaching towards it, according to the proffer.
Nunez then ordered McMillian to show his hands, with McMillian ignoring the commands while continuing moving towards the backpack. With the driver's side door open, Martinez then drew his firearm as officers repeatedly told McMillian to stop reaching, the proffer said.
At this time, McMillian drew a .40 caliber firearm equipped with a fully automatic switch from his backpack and opened fire towards Martinez and Chambers. Chambers, who was seated in the driver's seat, was struck multiple times in the head and face area, both arms and left hand, according to court documents.
Martinez was struck five times, including an entry wound to the face that exited the head and a shot to the left abdomen. Martinez collapsed on the side of the street after the shooting, documents said.
McMillian then pushed Chambers' body out of the vehicle and hopped into the driver's seat, while another responding officer, Kenneth Brinks, ordered McMillian out of the vehicle and grabbed his jersey attempting to pull him from the vehicle, according to the proffer.
McMillian put the vehicle in reverse, speeding backwards down Ingleside Ave. as Brink fell to the ground. As Brink fell, he accidentally discharged one round from his weapon, which did not strike McMillian, according to the proffer.
As the car sped away, the open driver's door struck a parked vehicle, causing the door to bend backwards. The vehicle then crashed into another parked vehicle at 8055 S. Ingleside Ave. before fleeing on foot, according to court documents. The witness in the vehicle remained in the backseat.
Martinez was then transported to University of Chicago Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Chambers was pronounced dead at the scene, with authorities recovering a firearm from his waistband, documents said.
Surveillance cameras aided in tracking McMillian after he fled the scene, as he was captured holding a white t-shirt before pulling it over his head while walking down the sidewalk before entering the rear door of a residence at 8022 S. Drexel Ave., according to documents.
A caregiver in the first-floor apartment witnessed McMillian entering the home's kitchen wearing a white shirt, black pants and red and white Air Jordan 4s. The caregiver saw McMillian entering the kitchen and grabbing an item from one of the drawers before attempting to cut an electronic monitoring bracelet he was wearing, documents revealed.
According to the proffer, McMillian told the caregiver he did something bad and needed a sharper knife. He then grabbed a butter knife and a cutting knife before leaving the residence. The caregiver then called 911 to alert authorities.
Surveillance video captured McMillian leaving the residence, walking into a backyard and briefly out of view before re-appearing as he jumped a fence. Just over a minute later, McMillian was seen running down the alley behind the building before exiting onto Maryland Avenue, the proffer said.
While touring the area shortly afterwards, officers saw McMillian wearing a white t-shirt with dirt marks on the front, black pants and the same pair of shoes walking on Maryland Avenue. McMillian was then detained by officers and positively identified by both officers at the original scene and the caregiver inside the residence on Drexel Avenue, according to the proffer.
McMillian was placed into custody, with a search revealing cannabis and crack cocaine in his possession. A search of the area where McMillian was captured on surveillance footage revealed McMillian's jersey, electronic monitoring bracelet and two knives, the proffer said.
At the time of the shooting, McMillian was on electronic monitoring for a pending attempt to foil/defeat a screen test out of Will County. GPS data put McMillian at the scene of the homicide between 8 and 8:15 p.m., according to the proffer.
Multiple searches of the vehicle revealed a .40 caliber firearm with a fully automatic switch, two baby bottles containing suspected codeine along with shell casings and other evidence from the shooting, the proffer said.
Arrangements for funeral services for Martinez remain underway.
