Woman, 19, held without bail after allegedly shooting cop in Humboldt Park

A 19-year-old woman was ordered held without bail after allegedly shooting a Chicago police officer who showed up at her Humboldt Park neighborhood home Saturday night to serve a search warrant for drugs and illegal weapons.

Emily Petronella was charged Sunday with felony counts of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault of a peace officer with a weapon, armed violence, aggravated discharge of a firearm and manufacture and delivery of over 5,000 grams of cannabis, according to Chicago police. She also faces a misdemeanor charge for a bail bond violation.

Officers were serving a search warrant at 7:18 p.m. at the two-story home in the 2700 block of West Potomac when Petronella fired through a rear door, striking one of the cops in his shoulder, police said.

Petronella was ordered held without bail at the Cook County Jail during a Sunday court hearing.

During the hearing, a Cook County prosecutor said officers made their presence known by driving up to the front and rear of the home in numerous squad cars that had their emergency lights turned on. After loudly announcing their presence and knocking, officers specified they had a search warrant before using a battering ram.

Petronella’s attorney, Stefan Fenner, argued that his client didn’t know it was the police. He said the shooting happened “at night after dark when [Petronella] is home alone… with someone battering a door from the rear.”

“It is an issue of announce your honor,” said Fenner, who hopes footage from officers’ body cameras will affirm his client’s side of the story.

Nevertheless, Judge Stephanie K. Miller ordered Petronella held in custody.

“She poses a real and present threat to the safety of the community,” Miller said.

The 34-year-old officer Petronella shot was rushed to Stroger Hospital, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

On Saturday night, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said the officer was lucid, “in good spirits” and with his family. The officer previously spent about 8 years in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Johnson also said police had identified themselves while executing the warrant.

But Petronella’s mother, Sandra Petronella, told the Sun-Times in an interview that her daughter called her on her cellphone frantic that someone was trying into break into their home.

“She was hysterical,” Sandra Petronella said. “She called me while I was at the mall: ‘They’re breaking in. They’re breaking in.’ And then she hung up.”

Johnson said at a news conference Saturday that police knew Petronella, having had several encounters with her. At the time of the shooting, Petronella was free on $10,000 bond after being charged with a misdemeanor count of unlawful use of a weapon on Feb. 23, according to Cook County court records.

Petronella was the only one home when officers served the warrant for a “narcotics and illegal weapons search.”

During the search, officers uncovered a large amount of marijuana, a semiautomatic pistol and “large bundles” of cash, police said.

Officers did not fire their weapons during the encounter, authorities said.

Petronella’s mother said she has a FOID card and a gun “to protect herself.”

“She’s allowed to protect herself,” according to Sandra Petronella, who said the family has lived on the block for about a decade.

Petronella and her mother live on the second floor of the building, while the young woman’s grandfather lives on the first floor. A neighbor said the family was quiet and didn’t create problems.