There are new details emerging about the suspect in the shooting of three Chicago cops on Thursday, including the fact that he was released earlier this year after serving less than half of a five-year prison sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

25-year old Lovelle Jordan was arrested Thursday morning after police spotted him getting behind the wheel of a Porsche that had been reported stolen a few days ago. Officers were able to cuff Jordan and take him to the Grand Central District police station, but somehow Jordan was able to get his cuffed hands in front of him, allowing him to grab a pistol that he’d concealed and officers had failed to spot. When an officer opened the back door of the police car to take Jordan inside the station, Jordan opened fire, hitting the officer in the face.

That officer, who is assigned to the district and has been a Chicago cop since 2003, was struck in the chin area and bullet fragments ended up in his neck, [Chicago police Chief of Detectives Brendan] Deenihan said. That officer was being treated at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he is recovering from his wounds.

Another officer was shot in the hip and a third was struck in their protective vest, but the gunfire did not penetrate it, authorities have said. They were taken to Loyola University Medical Center for treatment, but they’ve since been treated and released.

Officers returned fire and shot Jordan, who was taken for treatment to Stroger Hospital, authorities said. The gun he used was also discovered to have been stolen, Deenihan said.

Sources said as many as 60 shots were fired in the exchange of gunfire, which broke out in or near the station’s sally port, a pathway that is designated for police transports into lockup.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Jordan is now paralyzed from the waist down after being hit by the return fire. Thankfully, it looks like all three officers are going to recover from their injuries, but Jordan shouldn’t have been in a position to get arrested in the first place. He should have been behind bars serving a prison sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Between 2012 and 2015, Jordan was convicted in three different cases for felony drug possession and delivery. In 2016 he was convicted of aggravated assault after he drove away from police during a traffic stop and then, after getting stopped again, accelerated while an officer had reached her hand into the car — nearly driving over her foot.

He was released from the Pinckneyville Correctional Center less than four months ago after serving time on a gun conviction, records show. He pleaded guilty in 2018 to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to five years in prison; with credit for good time and a year in county jail awaiting trial, he was paroled in April.

In seven years of adulthood, Jordan’s been convicted of or pleaded guilty to five separate felony cases, yet it appears he’s managed to avoid any serious time behind bars. Two years ago he caught a five-year sentence, but served less than half.

Where’s the outrage by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot about this? Will she say anything about the failure of the criminal justice system in this case, or will she find a way to blame Indiana gun laws for the stolen firearm that Jordan got his hands on? Why, given Jordan’s lengthy criminal history, was his case not referred to the U.S. attorney for prosecution? A federal case would have kept Jordan behind bars until he had served at least 85% of his sentence, and he would have been eligible for a ten-year sentence as well.

Instead of getting angry at Indiana, Lightfoot should direct her ire at Cook County prosecutors and the criminal justice system in her state. She should quit blathering about the need for more federal gun laws, and start demanding greater enforcement of the existing laws on the books. Unfortunately, I doubt she’ll do either of those things, and as a result the city is likely to see more violence from guys like Lovelle Jordan.