Officer French Bodycam Released
COPA Releases Bodycam Footage Nearly Five Years After Officer Ella French Killed in Chicago Traffic Stop
Key Points
The stop occurred at about 9 p.m. on Aug. 7, 2021 in the 6300 block of South Bell Avenue, involving a Honda CR-V; after French patted down the driver, Eric Morgan broke away and ran, prompting Officer Joshua Blas to chase him, while Emonte Morgan was identified as the other occupant of the vehicle.
COPA Chief Administrator LaKenya White said the release followed a FOIA request and added, “it is important to remember that this video captures a profoundly tragic event,” urging viewers to watch “with respect for those affected,” referencing French and Carlos Yanez Jr.’s loved ones and colleagues.
Officials described severe injuries and broader violence during the attack: Yanez was reportedly shot four times in the head, left partially paralyzed, and lost his right eye; during the struggle, Emonte Morgan also tried to shoot Blas.
Prosecutors’ trial outcomes included more charges than first-degree murder alone: WGN reported Emonte Morgan was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and unlawful use of a weapon, receiving life in prison without parole.
Nearly five years after Chicago Police Officer Ella French was shot and killed during a traffic stop, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability released body-worn camera footage to the public on June 13, 2024. Chicago Sun-Times The footage, held back by court orders during criminal proceedings, became available after a Freedom of Information Act request once both cases were resolved.
Emonte Morgan was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole in May 2024. His brother Eric pleaded guilty in October 2023 and received seven years. WGN-TV With those cases closed, COPA said the orders that had blocked the video's release were no longer in place.
A Routine Stop That Turned Deadly in Seconds
At about 9 p.m. on August 7, 2021, Officers French, Carlos Yanez Jr., and Joshua Blas pulled over a silver Honda CR-V near 63rd Street and Bell Avenue in West Englewood. The reason: expired plates. Officers then noticed an open alcohol container and smelled cannabis. Chicago Sun-Times
French patted down the driver, Eric Morgan. He broke away and ran. Officer Blas chased him. That left French and Yanez with Emonte Morgan near the vehicle. Within roughly seven seconds of Emonte producing a gun, French was shot once in the head and Yanez was struck four times. WGN-TV Blas returned and shot Emonte in the chest and triceps. French was pronounced dead on August 8, 2021.
Yanez Lost His Eye; Emonte Claimed It Was an Accident
Carlos Yanez Jr. was shot three times in the head and shoulder area and once in the eye. He lost his right eye and was left partially paralyzed. At trial, he testified that "everything went black" after being shot. ABC7 Chicago He has since retired from the Chicago Police Department and faces a lifetime of medical care.
Emonte Morgan's defense argued the gun fired accidentally during the struggle. Prosecutors used the bodycam footage frame by frame to disprove that claim. WGN-TV The jury rejected his account and found him guilty on all counts, including attempted murder of both Yanez and Blas. At sentencing, Emonte said, "I'm not the monster the media portrays me to be," but offered no direct apology. Judge Ursula Walowski called a life sentence "the only appropriate sentence."
Court Orders Delayed the Video for Nearly Three Years
Chicago's 2016 transparency policy requires COPA to release officer-involved shooting footage within 60 days. But prosecutors and defense attorneys sought protective orders to keep the video from reaching the public before trial. COPA said those orders blocked release while the cases were active. WTTW News
Once Eric Morgan was sentenced in 2023 and Emonte Morgan was sentenced in May 2024, the orders expired. COPA published the footage on June 13, 2024, in response to a FOIA request. Chief Administrator LaKenya White said, "it is important to remember that this video captures a profoundly tragic event," and urged viewers to watch "with respect for those affected." ABC7 Chicago
French's Death Left a Mark Far Beyond the Case
Ella French was 29 years old when she was killed. Her death was the first line-of-duty death of a female Chicago officer in 33 years, since Officer Irma Ruiz died in 1988. Chicago Sun-Times COPA reviewed Officer Blas's use of force and found it "necessary and objectively reasonable."
The case has fueled an ongoing debate in Chicago over pretextual traffic stops — stops for minor violations like expired plates that officers use to look for larger crimes. Police unions point to the French case as proof those stops save lives. Reform advocates argue the same stops disproportionately target Black and Latino neighborhoods. ABC7 Chicago That tension remains unresolved as the footage enters the public record.
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