Malik Wrightsell, 34, was charged with attempted murder and weapons-related offenses after an officer-involved shooting on July 3 that injured two Chicago police officers, police said.
The night shift turned into a fight for survival on July 3. when Chicago police say a traffic stop over a homemade or non-highway vehicle spiraled into gunfire on the South Side. On Sunday night. Malik Wrightsell was charged after that encounter—accused of attempting to kill one officer and seriously injuring another in the chaotic moments that followed.
Chicago police said Wrightsell, 34, of the 4600 block of S. Cottage Grove Ave., faces seven counts. He was charged with attempted first-degree murder against one city police officer. and with aggravated battery to a peace officer. aggravated assault of a peace officer. resisting or obstructing a peace officer. and two weapons offenses. Court paperwork also includes a ticket for operating a non-highway vehicle. A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday.
Police said officers stopped what they described as a homemade or non-highway vehicle in the 2000 block of East 79th Street. The traffic stop escalated into a foot pursuit, and gunfire erupted after Wrightsell initially fled. Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said on Friday that Wrightsell pulled a firearm from a bag and shot one officer in the abdomen. Police said the ballistic vest stopped the bullet.
The officer returned fire, striking Wrightsell multiple times. A second officer was also struck in the arm during the altercation.
Both officers were identified by Chicago Sun-Times sources as Carl Williams, 27, and Esteban Cervantes, 30. They were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Mayor Brandon Johnson said on Friday that Cervantes underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to the arm. Both men have been with the department for four years. and both have been placed on routine administrative duties for at least 30 days.
Wrightsell was taken into custody on South Chappell Avenue shortly after the shooting and transported to Northwestern Hospital in critical condition. Police said a firearm was recovered at the scene.
After the gunfire, the area saw a heavy police response. Multiple officers responded. including crime scene technicians and investigators from the Civilian Office of Police Accountability and the Bureau of Alcohol. Tobacco. Firearms and Explosives. A mobile command center was also set up while evidence teams investigated.
At a briefing outside the University of Chicago Medical Center, Snelling and Mayor Brandon Johnson said the officers’ actions likely prevented further harm. Johnson praised the officers’ service, pointing to the broader risks police face during a busy holiday weekend.
Chicago police CPD shooting Malik Wrightsell attempted murder charge Carl Williams Esteban Cervantes South Side officer-involved shooting ballistic vest Civilian Office of Police Accountability
Homemade vehicle again… like why are we even stopping random stuff on the South Side? Sounds like somebody should’ve just let it go.
TWO officers hurt and they say it was stopped by a vest?? Thank god for the vest but also man attempted murder is wild. I hope the court handles it fast.
Wait so the officer got shot in the abdomen but the vest stopped it… so like did he still get hit or it just grazed him? Not trying to be disrespectful I’m just confused. Also why was ATF there if it was Chicago police stuff?
They always make it sound like the traffic stop was the beginning but somehow he had a gun in a bag?? Traffic stop over a “non-highway vehicle” sounds like a setup to me idk. If he fled on foot and then shot, that’s obviously terrible, but CPD shouldn’t be out here doing risky stops on holiday weekends either. Also “routine administrative duties” for the officers like they didn’t do anything wrong? seems like the system protects them first.