Convicted felon charged in fatal shooting of Cook County deputy; 69 rounds fired in under 1 minute
Deputy Rafael Wordlaw died while protecting cousin, remembered as 'a family protector'
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police announced charges against a man in the shooting death of a Cook County sheriff's deputy Thursday.
Deputy Rafael Wordlaw was off-duty when he was killed this week.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Police said 32-year-old Cordarrow Thompson, a five-time convicted felon, has been charged with several felonies, including murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery involving a discharge of a firearm and attempted armed robbery.
Thompson was just released from prison on his latest case last year.
A Cook County judge denied Thompson pre-trial release Thursday, saying of his record, "It doesn't get any more dangerous than that."
According to authorities, Thompson was arrested just three hours after they say he tried to rob off duty Cook County sheriff's Deputy Wordlaw while he was pumping gas early Tuesday morning in the 500-block of East 67th Street in Woodlawn.
CPD Chief of Detectives Antionetti Ursitti said Wordlaw was sitting in his car when he was approached, and then there was an exchange of gunfire.
"An exchange of gunfire ensued between Deputy Wordlaw and the offender, fired with two weapons simultaneously. Approximately 69 rounds total were fired by the offender. Deputy Wordlaw fired one shot, striking the offender in the leg," Chief Ursitti said.
The dozens of rounds were fired in under a minute.
Wordlaw was shot in the chest and died at a local hospital; another person at the gas station suffered a graze wound.
"How in God's name can we have someone firing off 69 rounds at somebody in a sane society?" Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said during a press conference Thursday.
Prosecutors said Thursday it was Wordlaw who fired first, while sitting in his vehicle.
Thompson, they say, walked up to Wordlaw's friend who was pumping gas into his own vehicle, and displayed two weapons.
Police said after the shooting, Thompson managed to get into a green Chevy Tahoe and drive away, showing up at Insight Hospital, at 25th Street and Michigan Avenue.
"The offender gave false information about his identity. Once officers arrived to conduct an interview, he did not want to speak to the officers. And he then left," Ursitti said.
Police say Thompson had a rideshare take him to 18th Street and Michigan. Then, he hopped into a second one to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Officers arrested him within minutes of his arrival at the hospital.
According to authorities, Thompson tested positive for gunshot residue, and blood evidence at the scene was a DNA match.
"This is very frustrating. It is very frustrating to see this kind of violence across the city in general," Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said.
There was also surveillance video of the incident.
Investigators say they have not recovered either Thompson's vehicle or his weapons.
This comes as a family and a community grieve the loss of a man who has been described as true public servant, who wanted to protect people.
"Rafael is in heaven right now. And this is happening so quickly for him," Wordlaw's mother Linda Davenport said. "He fought to the end. He was a hero. He fought protecting his friend."
Wordlaw, who worked at the Cook County Jail, was supposed to be celebrating his 32nd birthday next week.
"He told his mom that he wanted to be a hero like his dad," Dart said. "And unfortunately, he became a hero. And he became a hero because of our guns, the guns that are everywhere."
Leaving court following Thursday's initial hearing, Wordlaw's devastated family thanked those involved in the arrest, while also paying tribute to the man who dreamed of being a cop.
"Ever since we were kids. My brother wanted to be in law enforcement. He used to make little police, little people and his police cars when he was like 6 or 7 years old," his sister Francesca Wordlaw said.
"We honor Deputy Wordlaw by bringing his killer to justice. We want to make sure that this individual cannot destroy another life or lives. Because even it it is one life that is taken, it affects the lives of everyone that knows that individual," Snelling said. "Hopefully we can bring the family some level of justice."
In a statement Thursday, the Cook County Sheriff's Office said, "As we mourn the senseless loss of Deputy Rafael Wordlaw, we would like to express our appreciation for CPD's investigation that led to murder charges against the person who allegedly took his life. We hope justice will be done for Deputy Wordlaw's family and colleagues."
