Chicago law enforcement officials ID suspect, announce charges in murder of police officer
Authorities in Chicago announced that a suspect has been arrested and released a mugshot of the convicted felon charged in connection to the murder of a Chicago police officer.
During a news conference on Wednesday, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said Darion C. McMillian, 23, is facing multiple charges, including one count of first-degree murder of 26-year-old Chicago Police Officer Enrique Martinez.
"This offender is a convicted felon who was on electronic monitoring out of Will County. Needless to say, this individual should not have been on our streets with a fully automatic weapon, a weapon used to kill Officer Martinez, as well as another individual who was in the car with the offender," Snelling said.
Around 8 p.m. Monday, Martinez and his partner responded to a report about a vehicle, occupied by three people, blocking traffic in the East Chatham neighborhood.
Prior to additional officers arriving to assist the stop, Martinez and his partner spoke with the driver and observed McMillian reaching for a bag on the floor of the vehicle, police described.
When instructed to stop, McMillian allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired, fatally wounding Martinez.
Police said that the driver of the vehicle was also struck by gunfire and killed. The identity of the driver has yet to be released.
McMillian then allegedly pushed the driver’s body out of the car, moved to the driver’s seat and attempted to escape. As an officer tried to intervene and pull him out of the vehicle, McMillian reversed the car, dragging the officer, who fired his weapon once into the ground, police said.
While attempting to flee, police said McMillian crashed into a parked car and took off on foot into a nearby apartment, where a woman was inside.
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McMillian reportedly found a knife and removed an electronic monitoring device from his ankle.
Police said the woman was not harmed and the officer who was dragged was in fair condition.
McMillian was later caught and arrested. Police said a second person was also detained, but was later released without charges.
Snelling praised the responding officers who apprehended McMillian "amidst a chaotic scene," and said they did it "in honor of Officer Martinez's sacrifice, and to make sure no one else in our community would face the same heartbreak that Officer Martinez's family is going through."
"I want that to resonate with everyone. Knowing the risks. Out in these streets. Officer Martinez and all of our police officers run toward this danger to protect everyone in the city," Snelling said. "We all need to be outraged at the violent offenders who are creating endless cycles of trauma in our communities.
"We need to be outraged at the proliferation of guns that are killing our residents, our children and our first responders. Anger doesn't describe the feeling that I feel right now."
Snelling was joined by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to announce the charges in Martinez’s murder.
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"While today's charges won't bring back Officer Enrique Martinez. It's our hope that these charges will bring a sense of justice. Justice for the Family. And all that knew and loved Officer Enrique Martinez," Johnson said.
McMillian had a criminal background, and was indicted by a grand jury in Will County on charges of unlawful possession of cannabis and unlawful possession of cannabis with intent to deliver in January 2023.
Then, last month, a Will County grand jury indicted McMillian on charges of defrauding a drug screening test, where he was then released on electronic monitoring, FOX 32 reported.
"The police can't do this all alone. We need the community to step up. We need everybody to start stepping up. We need people to start looking at accountability for those who are committing these acts and repeatedly committing acts," Snelling said.
McMillian’s next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.
He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one being first-degree murder of a police officer, along with residential burglary, unlawful use of a weapon-machine gun, and unlawful use of a weapon in the shooting death of a police officer.