CHICAGO — A judge on Friday sentenced a man to 20 years for shooting an off-duty Chicago police officer during a robbery attempt in June 2020. He received an additional 15 years, consecutive, for a separate carjacking case.
Chrishawn Thomas, 23, was under electronic monitoring for an ongoing robbery case when he and an accomplice began following the off-duty officer after he left work early on June 9, 2020.
Prosecutors said that after the officer parked his car and got out in the 3900 block of South Artesian, Thomas jumped out of the second vehicle with a gun in his hand. He allegedly pointed the gun at the officer’s head just a few feet away. Officials said the officer, acting in self-defense, drew his own gun and exchanged gunfire with Thomas.
Officials said Thomas was shot in both legs and the officer was shot near the knee.
Thomas appeared at a hospital for treatment a short time later. Investigators linked him to the shooting through a gun and blood they found at the scene, prosecutors said.
According to court records, Thomas pleaded guilty Friday to aggravated battery by discharging a firearm in exchange for Judge Diana Kenworthy’s 20-year sentence. He must serve 85% of the twenty years.
He also pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular hijacking with a firearm during a carjacking on May 30, 2020 in the 3100 block of South Wallace. Kenworthy gave him another 15 years, at 50%, for that crime. Prosecutors only charged him with the hijacking after he was taken into custody for the shooting, but he was also under electronic surveillance at the time of the carjacking.
The robbery case for which he was electronically monitored and a separate charge of possession of a weapon in a penal institution were dropped by prosecutors.
After all is said and done, and with credits already earned and expected, Thomas can expect to be paroled in just under twenty years.
