It was a split-second decision that likely saved Chicago Police Officer Carlos Yanez’s life, and the scene played out on video played during the trial of the suspect accused of killing Officer Ella French.
Rather than wait for an ambulance at 63rd & Bell, where French had been killed, Yanez's fellow officers decided to load him into the back of a squad car and make a run for the nearest hospital.
Officer Nicholas Morales took the stand late this afternoon, telling jurors that, at first, he didn’t know where to go, but started driving east in the direction of University of Chicago campus.
“I knew the hospital; I had been there before; I didn’t know the directions,” Morales said. “But I knew we were headed in the right direction."
The whole, harrowing trip was captured on another officer’s bodycam video. In court it played like a scene from “ER.” The video drew gasps and tears from Yanez family and the other cops filling the courtroom. Former FOP President Kevin Graham was one of them.
“It is important that these officers are here to show their support,” Graham said.
Other testimony Thursday focused on the physical evidence against the alleged shooter Emonte Morgan.
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CPD Technician Jennifer Jacobucci spent most of the morning testifying about what she found when she arrived at the crime scene and the backyard where Morgan was captured.
That’s where police say they found the murder weapon: a Glock handgun that was discovered with a live cartridge jammed in its slide.
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That’s also where they found a red Air Jordan sneaker that they say Morgan lost when he leaped over a fence into that backyard. Graham said the evidence in this case was so extensive not just because it involved the death of a police officer, but because technicians like Jacobucci take great pride in their work
Morgan is facing first degree murder charges in connection with French’s death. He is also charged with the attempted murder of Yanez and Officer Joshua Blas.
In their cross-examination, the defense suggested that little was done to make sure evidence wasn’t moved or stepped over in the rush to get both officers to the hospital.
The judge advised the jury that the trial will likely stretch into next week, but there will be no court on Monday because of Casimir Pulaski Day, a state holiday in Illinois.
Testimony will continue on Tuesday.
