Aréanah Preston shooting: Suspect pleads guilty to 2023 killing of Chicago police officer

Aréanah Preston shooting: Suspect pleads guilty to 2023 killing of Chicago police officer

A man pleaded guilty Thursday to killing a Chicago police officer during a robbery attempt outside her home and was sentenced to 55 years in prison, prosecutors said.

CHICAGO - A man pleaded guilty Thursday to killing a Chicago police officer during a robbery attempt outside her home and was sentenced to 55 years in prison, prosecutors said.

What we know:

Joseph Brooks, 22, pleaded guilty to the 2023 murder of Chicago Police Officer Aréanah Preston, 24, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney.

Preston was shot during an attempted robbery as she returned home after her shift.

Brooks was sentenced to 55 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder, prosecutors said.

He is one of four suspects charged in Preston’s killing, which occurred during an armed robbery spree that lasted several hours on May 6, 2023, authorities said.

The other suspects have been identified as Travell Breeland, Jakwon Buchanan and a third suspect who was 16 at the time and has not been publicly named.

What we don't know:

It is unclear where the cases against the other three suspects stand.

The backstory:

Preston encountered the suspects after parking her car outside her home in the Avalon Park neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side.

Prosecutors said a group of masked, armed suspects approached Preston and attempted to rob her as she exited her vehicle. During the confrontation, she was shot and died at the scene.

Authorities said the suspects had stolen a Kia that was used in the attempted robbery and several others earlier that day.

After the shooting, the suspects burned the vehicle and fled to an apartment, where they were later arrested following a SWAT standoff, prosecutors said.

What they're saying:

"Officer Aréanah Preston’s life was tragically cut short by an extreme and senseless act of violence, the very kind she dedicated her career to combating," Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke said. We will always feel the loss of this remarkable young woman. I hope this conviction brings a measure of accountability and some comfort to Aréanah’s family, her friends, and her colleagues in the Chicago Police Department. We will continue seeking justice in the co-defendant cases that are pending."