Anjanette Young Mourns Loss Of Fallen CPD Officer Ella French As Only Officer To Show Her 'Any Dignity Or Respect' During Botched Raid
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Anjanette Young, the woman who was forced to stand handcuffed while naked during a botched police raid of her home in 2019, said Wednesday that Officer Ella French, who was killed in a shooting over the weekend, was the only officer who showed her "any dignity or respect on the night of the raid."
"Ms. Anjanette Young joins the City of Chicago in mourning the loss of Chicago Police Officer Ella French," a spokeswoman for Young said in a statement Wednesday.
French was shot and killed late Saturday night while conducting a traffic stop in West Englewood. On Wednesday, a spokeswoman for Anjanette Young identified French as the female officer who arrived at her home 13 minutes into the botched 2019 raid, and walked her to a room so she could get dressed.
"Officer French assisted Ms. Young and allowed her to get dressed, in the privacy of her bedroom. Officer French was the only officer who showed Ms. Young any dignity or respect on the night of the raid," a spokeswoman for Young said in a statement. "Ms. Young is praying for Officer French's family and offers her sincerest condolences to them and all of Officer French's friends and colleagues."
The wrong raid on Young's home in February 2019 was first exposed by CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini. Young was handcuffed naked and terrified by officers on a botched raid who had the wrong home.
Meantime, in addition to Young's praise of French's actions to protect her dignity, French also has been remembered for helping save the life of a newborn who was wounded in a shooting last month in Englewood.
The family of the baby girl, 1-month-old Terriana Smith, never got to thank French before the officer was killed.
The family said they'll never forget French's quick-thinking and her kindness on the ride to the hospital.
The baby girl miraculously survived – and the family said it's thanks to Officer French.
Terriana was one of seven people wounded that July night near 66th and Halsted streets. Within moments, mom and baby were enroute to St. Bernard Hospital.
"They were like, 'No, it was your baby niece,'" said Terriana's uncle, Charles McKenzie, "and I couldn't believe it – I'm like, wow."
McKenzie is a nonviolence outreach worker himself.
"They're the people I call when there's things that need to be done," he said.
He remembers the officer who calmed his sister down in the back of the car.
"My sister just was telling me, (French) was just saying, 'Everything is going to be OK - we got you,' calming my sister down; giving her inspirational words: 'Hey, come, come, come on, we're going to make it through this - and she was just nursing her all the way to the hospital," McKenzie said. "She did her part as an officer. She did her part as an officer."
The family calls it nothing short of a miracle that baby Terriana was released from the hospital with a clean bill of health.
"She never had a chance to thank her," McKenzie said.
The family never got the chance because Officer French's life was taken Saturday night. The family recognized her immediately from the pictures on the news.
"She was a great officer. She was a great officer," McKenzie said.
