Sam Charles

Sam Charles is a criminal justice reporter for the Chicago Tribune covering the Chicago Police Department. He was previously a staff reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times and an investigative producer at WGN-TV. He is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago.

Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman is seen in an undated photo. (Family photo)

Tragedy of Loyola student’s alleged killing by migrant marked by his clouded history, political reaction

March 23, 2026 at 6:12 p.m.

Jose Medina, 25, is facing charges in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman.

Chicago police respond to the scene of a car crash into a CTA bus and an officer-involved shooting on Homan Avenue in Chicago on March 9, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago police officer in Humboldt Park fatal shooting is stripped of police powers

March 19, 2026 at 8:34 p.m.

A Chicago police officer involved in the fatal shooting of a driver earlier this month was relieved of his police powers Friday, CPD representatives confirmed.

Chicago Fire Department Firefighter Michael Altman, who died after being critically injured during a fire in the city's Rogers Park neighborhood on March 16, 2026. (Chicago Fire Department)

Chicago police questioning man in connection to fire that killed firefighter Michael Altman as CFD announces funeral

March 18, 2026 at 7:07 p.m.

The Chicago Fire Department announced that visitation and funeral services for Michael Altman are scheduled for March 26 and 27.

Chicago firefighters line Harrison Street and salute as an ambulance passes in a procession for fallen firefighter Michael Altman on March 17, 2026. Altman died after being critically injured in a Rogers Park fire on Monday. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Fourth-generation Chicago firefighter Michael Altman dies from injuries in Rogers Park fire

March 17, 2026 at 7:16 p.m.

This coming May would have been his second anniversary with CFD, Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said.

Man charged in shooting of CPD sergeant, woman on Far South Side

March 17, 2026 at 11:48 a.m.

A Far South Side man faces more than a half dozen felony charges after he allegedly shot a Chicago Police sergeant minutes after shooting a 63-year-old woman.

A coalition of organizations, elected officials and individuals hold a press conference at Federal Plaza in Chicago, March 12, 2026, to call for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate possible crimes committed by federal agents during Operation Midway Blitz. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Coalition wants special prosecutor named to review agents’ conduct during Operation Midway Blitz

March 12, 2026 at 3:48 p.m.

A group of community members, organizations and politicians are petitioning for a special prosecutor to investigate and potentially prosecute wrongdoing by federal agents during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in...

A view from the alley in the 3000 block of North Pulaski Road in Chicago on March 10, 2026, shows the rear of the dance studio, on left, where teenagers and parents were allegedly harassed by two neighbors from a second floor balcony in the apartment building nearby. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Charges filed in attack on teens outside Northwest Side dance studio

March 11, 2026 at 3:33 p.m.

A man faces five counts of misdemeanor battery for allegedly throwing a liquid at a group of kids last weekend outside a Northwest Side dance studio while another person made...

Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling, second from left, walks near Michigan Avenue, Sept. 13, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling says increase in home searches coming after training boost

March 10, 2026 at 5:42 p.m.

The Chicago Police Department’s bolstered training in the execution of search warrants will soon mean an increase in residential searches by CPD officers, Superintendent Larry Snelling told a federal judge...

Judge denies expungement in former CPD officer’s murder case

March 9, 2026 at 4:25 p.m.

A Cook County judge on Monday denied the requests of a former Chicago police officer to expunge and seal records of his arrest and criminal trial in the fatal 2021...

Chicago police Officer Julius Givens, right, speaks to the media on April 29, 2021, along with Officer Rhonda Ward, after they located a 13-year-old shooting victim and transported him to a hospital on April 29, 2021. Givens has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city, alleging that he was kept from joining the police department’s SWAT unit because he is Black. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

CPD officer, shot after leaving FOP, alleges racial discrimination in SWAT

March 5, 2026 at 2:35 p.m.

A Chicago Police officer previously shot in the line of duty — who publicly rebuked his former union — has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city, alleging...

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