Drunk CPD Officer Fired Shots At Suburban Cop, Prosecutors Say
By Kate Shepherd in News on Nov 10, 2015 8:23PM
A Chicago police officer is being charged with firing five shots at an off-duty suburban cop who attempted to pull him over for drunk driving last year.
John J. Gorman, 53, who's being held in the Cook County Jail, has been charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm, a felony, according to the Sun-Times. If convicted, the Chicago cop could face 15 years in prison. He's been on desk duty since the Nov. 23, 2014 incident.
An off-duty Merrionette Park cop was riding in a pickup truck as a passenger in the afternoon when he saw an erratic car almost hit a flower vendor standing in the street near 111th and Pulaski, according to court records.
When he pulled up next to the car stopped at a red light, the suburban cop noticed that Gorman was holding an open beer. He flashed his badge. Gorman drove away when the light turned green, according to Cook County prosecutors.
The cop called 9-1-1 and followed Gorman to an intersection about two blocks from the Morgan Park police station. That's when Gorman allegedly walked to the back of his car and aimed his gun at the pickup truck. He allegedly fired five shots and the driver of the truck drove away, according to prosecutors.
Gorman has a long history of misconduct complaints. At least 22 have been filed against him since 2001, according to a database released today by the University of Chicago Law School and independent journalist Jamie Kalven. Yet he was not disciplined for any of the complaints, including the 2014 shooting incident.