Parole Denied For Man Who Shot Chicago Cop
Updated 01/27/11 - 3:29 p.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Parole has been denied to a man convicted of shooting a Chicago police officer more than 30 years ago.
Dozens of Chicago police officers traveled to Springfield on Thursday to attend the parole hearing for Lee Jones, who was convicted of attempted murder for shooting Officer Eddie Jackson on Oct. 14, 1977.
Jones was denied parole on Thursday and won't have another parole hearing for three years.
Jones was sentenced to 50 to 100 years in prison for shooting Jackson in the head during a traffic stop on Oct. 14, 1977. Jackson survived the shooting, but was left paralyzed and in a wheelchair until his death in 2003.
As CBS 2's Susanna Song reports, 27 officers took off on a bus from Chicago Police Headquarters, 3510 S. Michigan Ave., around 4:15 a.m. to attend Jones' parole hearing in Springfield.
For the past three years, Jones has been up for parole, and each year, officers have gone to Springfield to make sure he remains behind bars.
"Everybody, pretty much, who was with him at that time has retired from the job," said Chicago Police Sgt. Frank Iglinski, "so these are all officers that are representing him and his family at a parole hearing. We just want to establish that we don't forget what Mr. Jones has done to us. Officer Jackson … is still part of our community."
The officers wore their uniforms to the hearing. They did not plan to testify, instead planning to stand silently during the hearing.
