Accused gunman faces multiple felony counts in murder of Chicago Police Officer Enrique Martinez
CHICAGO (CBS) — A man has been charged with murder and multiple other felony counts in the shooting that killed Chicago Police Officer Enrique Martinez in East Chatham this week.
Darion McMillian, 23, was charged with one count each of first-degree murder of a police officer, first-degree murder, attempted murder of a police officer, residential burglary, unlawful use of a weapon—specifically a machine gun—and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, according to Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling.
Around 8 p.m. Monday, Martinez, 26, and his partner stopped a vehicle with three occupants inside in the 8000 block of South Ingleside Avenue in the East Chatham neighborhood. The vehicle was blocking traffic, according to Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti.
Additional officers also responded.
Martinez and his partner approached the car and began speaking with the driver—when they noticed McMillian in the back seat reaching for a bag on the floor, Ursitti said. Martinez and his partner told McMillian to stop reaching, Ursitti said.
At that point, McMillian took out a fully automatic handgun with a machine gun conversion device and an extended magazine, and fired at Officer Martinez—killing him, Ursitti said. Officer Martinez was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died.
McMillian also shot and killed the driver of the very car in which he was sitting in the back seat, Ursitti said.
The weapon was recovered inside the vehicle, Ursitti said.
After shooting the driver, McMillian shoved him out and got into the driver's seat of the car, Ursitti said. McMillian put the car in reverse and dragged Officer Martinez's partner—whose gun discharged once into the ground, Ursitti said.
Police said the officer who was dragged is doing well physically, but he will be scarred for life after witnessing his partner get murdered.
McMillian crashed the car into a parked car and bailed, running into a first-floor apartment with a woman inside, Ursitti said. Inside the apartment, McMillian found a knife and cut off his electronic monitoring bracelet, Ursitti said. The woman in the apartment was not harmed.
Officers finally found McMillian in the 8000 block of South Maryland Avenue, Ursitti said. Charges against McMillian were approved on Wednesday.
A second person from the car was also taken into custody, but was released Tuesday night.
Snelling said McMillian was 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," Snelling said.
An arrest warrant against McMillian was issued in Will County on Oct. 9 on charges of the unlawful defrauding of a drug screening test a few weeks earlier on Chicago's South Side. McMillian was arrested in Chicago when the outstanding warrant was discovered during a traffic stop, and was sent to Will County, where he was placed on electronic monitoring.
Another charge of trying to foil a drug test was issued against McMillian last week.
Court records obtained by CBS News Chicago reveal McMillian's rap sheet dates back to 2019, when he was sentenced for four years in prison for aggravated battery.
Snelling lauded the work of the officers who responded to the chaotic scene, the detectives who investigated the incident, and the CPD's partners at the Chicago Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives who worked to process the gun evidence.
"Officer Martinez was killed by the violence he worked to stop. I want that to resonate with everyone," Snelling said. "Knowing the risks out in these streets, Officer Martinez, and all of our police officers, run toward his danger to protect everyone in this city."
The Chicago Fraternal of Police said Officer Martinez had been on the job for nearly three years and was engaged to be married in a couple of months.
"Anger doesn't describe the feeling that I feel right now," Snelling said. "When we think about the loss of this offer who was out trying to protect this city I think of all the losses we've had over this time."
Snelling reminded everyone of the names of CPD officers who have been killed over the last few years—a list that Officer Martinez has now joined. Officers Luis Huesca, Aréanah Preston, Andrés Vásquez Lasso, and Ella French were also shot and killed since 2021.
"They all fell to violence in this city while trying to protect this city, and we should be outraged," Snelling said.
At a news conference with Snelling and Ursitti, Mayor Brandon Johnson emphasized the danger that police officers face and the sacrifices they make.
"Officer Enrique Martinez saved lives, even though he knew it could cost him his own," the mayor said. "This exemplifies what our police officers do every single day. They know the sacrifices, as well as the risk, of their profession—but yet still, they work every day to protect us."
Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx echoed the sentiment.
"We must never forget the profound sacrifices made by our police officers who put their lives on the line every single day to protect our communities," Foxx said. "We owe them an immeasurable debt of gratitude—quite honestly, one which we'll never be able to pay. It is our solemn duty to pursue justice for those who have fallen in service."
On Wednesday night, the Chicago Blackhawks held a moment of silence for Officer Martinez at the United Center, before the puck drop against the Detroit Red Wings.
McMillian is due for an initial court appearance on Thursday.