A northwestern Indiana man pleaded guilty Wednesday to making an illegal “straw” purchase of a handgun that was later used to kill Chicago police officer Ella French during a traffic stop in 2021.
Jamel Danzy, 30, of Hammond, entered the plea to one count of federal firearm conspiracy during a videoconference before U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman.
Danzy could get up to a year and four months in prison when he’s sentenced on Oct. 28.
Officer Ella French was killed and her partner was critically wounded last August after they stopped an SUV with expired tags on Chicago’s South Side. Two brothers who were in the SUV, Eric and Emonte Morgan, are awaiting trial on first-degree murder charges.
Danzy bought the gun used in the shooting in March 2021 from a licensed dealer in Hammond, Indiana, records show. Danzy admitted to federal agents that he bought the weapon for someone who had a felony record and could not buy a gun for himself.
Authorities allege that the gun Danzy bought was for someone who wasn’t allowed to buy guns and was used in the shooting.
The same gun was found in a yard where Eric Morgan was arrested on the night of French’s killing, prosecutors said.