The father of a Chicago police officer seriously injured in a shootout earlier this month that killed Officer Ella French slammed Mayor Lori Lightfoot Friday for policies he says have endangered law enforcement.
Carlos Yanez Sr., a retired police officer from the city, told “Fox & Friends” his son Carlos Yanez Jr. would complain about catching the same offender with a gun twice in one week, unable to understand how the suspect could have been released.
“My son had made it clear to me and other officers that over the past few months, how they were being diminished in their ability to do their jobs,” Yanez Sr. said. “Not only effectively to perform it in matters of regular procedures, but compromising their safety.”
On Aug. 7, Yanez Jr., 39, and French, 29, exchanged fire with suspects during a traffic stop. French’s death was the first fatal shooting of a Chicago officer in the line of duty since 2018.
Yanez Jr. suffered two gunshot wounds to the head and it is unclear how much mobility he will recover, doctors said. He thanked supporters from his hospital bed Wednesday in a video released by the family.
“There are good days and there’s bad days,” Yanez Sr. said of his recovery.
More than two dozen Chicago police officers reportedly turned their backs on Lightfoot when she visited the University of Chicago Medical Center following the shooting.
“My son was not a fan of her, as many police officers aren’t,” Yanez Sr. said. “They don’t feel the backing, the sincere backing… seems lackluster, not really from the heart.”
Yanez Sr. accused Lightfoot and politicians across the country of “encouraging” anti-police sentiment with their rhetoric against law enforcement.
“There’s no police violence,” he said. “There are bad policemen that are violent. There are doctors that are bad doctors, bad lawyers, some media. So you can’t brush everybody… It’s not about race, it’s about instinct.”
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Yanez Sr. spoke with his son, French and her partner Officer Josh Blas on the phone 20 minutes before the shooting. He told them to stay safe before hanging up.
“As policemen, we’re used to violence and tragedies, as doctors are,” he said. “But when it’s your own, the feeling is totally different.”
Fox News’ Edmund DeMarche contributed to this report.