1969 Shooting Suspect Arrested

By Margaret Lyons in News on Jul 29, 2004 2:07PM

Joseph Pannell, (identified in the Tribune as James Pannell) 55, was arrested in Canada yesterday for shooting a Chicago police officer in 1969. The former Black Panther allegedly shot Terrence Knox, now 56, three times in the arm. Pannell was released on bail in 1971 but failed to return to court. He was rearrested in 1973, again released on bail, and again failed to return. The case pretty much collected dust until 2003, when Knox asked the cold case squad to reopen the case. That's a young Pannell in the picture, bee tee dubs.

Investigators discovered that Pannell had "ties to Canada," and found that he had been living in Toronto for 13 years and working as a library research assistant. Pannell, living under the assumed name Douglas Freeman, is married and has children. In 1983, Pannell/Freeman was arrested in Canada on federal customs charges, but the details of those charges still aren't clear. Though he was never prosecuted in Canada, his fingerprints went on the books, which is how American authorities eventually caught up with him.

As of today, Pannell is still in Canadian custody awaiting extradition hearings.