Man charged of fatally shooting off-duty police officer has history of domestic violence arrests

March 25-- Mar. 25--The man who Chicago police believe fatally shot off-duty Officer John P. Rivera and wounded his friend over the weekend has a history of domestic violence arrests that dates back to at least 2017 -- the same time period when he was trying to apply to become a Chicago cop, according to police and court records reviewed by the Tribune.

Anthony Guglielmi, a police spokesman, declined Sunday to comment on the man or his background.

But Monday morning, Guglielmi said the man, Menelik Jackson, 24, was one of two people charged overnight with first-degree murder in Rivera's death. The other man charged, Jovan Battle, is accused of being a co-conspirator who was with Jackson at the time of the shooting, Guglielmi said. Police are still seeking a third person of interest, he said. Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson was expected to detail the charges in a press conference later Monday.

Documents show that late on the evening of March 16, 2017, the suspect turned himself in to police at the South Chicago District station, police say, hours after he choked and hit a victim in the head with his hand at his residence in the 7800 block of South Kingston Avenue in the South Shore neighborhood. It's unclear in the reports how the female victim, who was in her early 20s, and the suspect knew one another, but police at the time saw bruising on the victim's face and neck.

Police alleged the suspect left a Glock 19 handgun -- with 15 live rounds -- unattended on a bed pointing at an infant, who was lying near the firearm, the reports show. Officers also seized an AR-15 rifle capable of firing 5.56 mm bullets. In the reports, the suspect is listed as owning both guns and as having a valid firearm owner's identification card. After turning himself in, the suspect was charged with domestic battery and child endangerment.

Two months later, an emergency order of protection against the suspect was filed, and the judge in the domestic battery case issued an arrest warrant the same month. That June, the suspect was picked up on the warrant and referred to electronic monitoring.

On July 3, 2017, around 3 a.m., the suspect broke into his ex-girlfriend's residence in the Woodlawn neighborhood through a rear side window, pointed a gun at her head and threatened to kill her, police alleged in reports. The suspect was accused of telling the victim, "If you make a sound and wake everybody up I will kill everyone and myself," the reports say.

The victim said she remained quiet until the suspect left the home around 7:30 a.m. The victim told officers the suspect told her he was going to the Chicago police academy, at 1300 W. Jackson Blvd., to take a polygraph test, which is part of the application process, reports show. Officers at the academy detained the suspect, who then tried to escape, reports also say.

Police found the suspect's Ford Mustang, and in plain view in a passenger's seat, a Glock 17 handgun, reports show. Police also found a small amount of marijuana in the driver's armrest, reports show.

In that incident, police arrested the suspect on charges of home invasion, unlawful use of a weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest and violating an order of protection.

Last August the suspect pleaded guilty to two cases on two consecutive days. On Aug. 29 he pleaded guilty to domestic battery in the March 2017 case. The next day he pleaded guilty to an amended attempted residential burglary charge in the July 2017 case, with the remaining charges dropped, court records show.

Chicago Tribune's Dan Hinkel and Hannah Leone contributed.

jgorner@chicagotribune.com

wlee@chicagotribune.com

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