Howard Morgan, who was convicted of attempted murder for shooting at police but had his 40-year sentence commuted by outgoing Gov. Pat Quinn last week, was welcomed back Sunday to his South Side church at a special service.
Morgan, who was convicted in 2005, praised the support and encouragement of his family and church received while he was incarcerated.
“Any time I felt low, I just thought about my church, and what kept me was God’s word,” Morgan said.
Leaders of the Church of the Living God, 1738 W. Marquette Road, said God had answered their prayers.
In 2005, Morgan, a former Chicago police officer, was pulled over for driving down a one-way street in the wrong direction near 19th Street and Lawndale Avenue.
A confrontation between Morgan and four police officers led to an exchange of gunfire, prosecutors said. Morgan was shot 28 times, 21 in the back. Three officers were wounded.
Police said Morgan fired first, but Morgan denied pulling his gun and said he was shot by officers who saw the weapon Morgan, a railroad detective, was carrying. He was acquitted of firing a weapon in 2007, but there was no verdict on a charge of attempted murder.
At a second trial, he was convicted of attempted murder. In April of 2012, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
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SOURCE:Andrea V. Watson
DNAinfo
