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Brother of fallen officer Ella French dispels rumor that his sister was married, had a child

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Chicago police officer Ella French, 29, was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop in the West Englewood neighborhood on Aug 7. Following French’s death, some people claimed on social media that she was a mother to a 2-month-old infant, and that she recently returned to work after maternity leave.

“My prayers go out to the family of Police Officer Ella French. She was only 29 years old and just got back from maternity leave,” reads an Aug. 8 Facebook post with more than 1,500 shares. “She was ambushed and gunned down last night in Chicago. She leaves behind a 2-month-old baby.” A member of French’s family and the Chicago Police Department publicly have said those reports are inaccurate. French’s brother, Andrew, told the Chicago Sun-Times in an interview that his sister was not married and did not have any children.

At a news conference on Aug. 8, a reporter asked Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown if he could comment on the rumors that French had just returned from maternity leave and had an infant child. “That is not accurate,” Brown said in response. “I would just encourage you not to follow Twitter news. The mom requests that we withhold more information about her daughter until she is ready to hear you all report it.”

It’s unclear at this stage where exactly the claim originated, however, Stephanie Lulay, managing editor of Book Club Chicago, pointed out in a Twitter thread that several news sites were attributing the information to unnamed reports. Lulay found the earliest versions of the claim appeared on unverified social media accounts.

ARTICLE: PAUL MURDOCH

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE
PHOTO CREDITS: HEAVY.COM

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Paul Murdoch

Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.

Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.

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