A “fugitive” with ties to Chicago was arrested Wednesday in Iowa for allegedly shooting a Chicago police officer in the head last month near the Englewood District police station, officials announced Wednesday afternoon.
The officer was still recovering at home, said police Superintendent David Brown during a late afternoon news conference at police headquarters on South Michigan Avenue.
Advertisement
Jabari Edwards, 28, committed a minor traffic violation and officers from a task force arrested him in Burlington, Iowa, Brown said.
Edwards, who has “ties to Chicago,” was charged with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, said Brown and Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan, who also spoke.
Advertisement
The shooting happened June 1 about 5:45 p.m. in the 6100 block of South Paulina Street during a traffic stop at the Englewood police station.
Officers were fired upon, said Brown, and the officer was shot in the head and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Edwards fled in a black car, which crashed. He also allegedly dropped a weapon, which police matched with shell casings found at the scene, said Deenihan, who added citizens helped with information.
“We’re glad to bring some sense of justice and peace to the mind of our officer as she continues to recover,” Brown said.
Brown added that 34 Chicago cops have been shot at or shot while in the line of duty. “Seven were struck by gunfire,” he said.
“We won’t tolerate it,” Brown said. The arrest “should serve as a warning” to those involved in criminal acts, Brown said. “You cannot run nor can you hide from justice.”
Edwards, who was convicted of an attempted robbery in 2012, remained in the custody of Des Moines County Iowa sheriff’s police, awaiting extradition to Chicago to face the charges.
