Overview
- COPA published body-worn camera and nearby security footage on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request after court orders barring release expired.
- The recordings include video from all three officers’ body cameras and surrounding building cameras and show officers ordering occupants from the vehicle, a physical struggle, and the shots that followed.
- The footage documents a traffic stop on Aug. 7, 2021 for expired plates in West Englewood that prosecutors say escalated when Emonte Morgan struggled with officers and fired, killing Officer Ella French and seriously wounding Officer Carlos Yanez Jr.
- Criminal proceedings tied to the shooting are complete: Emonte Morgan was convicted of first-degree murder in March 2024 and received two life sentences without parole in September 2024, and Eric Morgan pleaded guilty to weapons charges in 2023 and was sentenced to seven years.
- COPA chief administrator LaKenya White urged respectful viewing, warned the videos are graphic, and framed the release as a transparency step that could renew public scrutiny of police practices and oversight procedures.