ASHBURN — Hundreds of police officers lined Southwest Side streets for the procession and funeral of Officer Luis M. Huesca on Monday as authorities continue looking for the man charged in his killing.
Huesca’s casket, draped in the Chicago flag, was brought into St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel, 7740 S. Western Ave., Monday morning. Faith leaders led the crowd in chants of “Viva” and read the names of other officers killed in the line of duty in recent years, including Ella French, Aréanah M. Preston and Andrés Mauricio Vásquez Lasso, a friend of Huesca’s who trained with him at the police academy.
Huesca was driving home from work the morning of April 21 when he was attacked in an apparent carjacking, police said. Officers went to the 5500 block of South Kedzie Avenue for a report of a gunshot, according to a statement from police. After looking around the area, officers drove to the 3100 block of West 56th Street, where they found Huesca outside with gunshot wounds. He later died at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Huesca was still in uniform and two days shy of his 31st birthday when he was killed, police said.
Supt. Larry Snelling commended Huesca’s “noble heart,” saying he had a knack for learning languages and “soaking up the culture of the places and people he visited.” Huesca would order food to bring home to his mom whenever he went out to dinner, Snelling said.
Huesca, assigned to an Area 2 response team, once took it upon himself to track down the owner of a stolen motorcycle, Snelling said.
“Let’s remember the kindness of this young man, and let’s take something from that,” Snelling said.
Huesca’s death has been ruled as a line-of-duty killing, allowing his family to receive additional benefits, according to the Sun-Times.
Police have issued an arrest warrant for Aurora man Xavier L. Tate, 22, offering up to $100,000 for information leading to his capture and conviction “for the murder of Officer Luis M. Huesca,” according to a news release.
Huesca’s Toyota 4Runner was stolen and recovered nearby, police said. Authorities have recovered Huesca’s stolen service weapon, Snelling told reporters after the funeral, according to NBC Chicago.
“We’re going to continue to work diligently until we take this individual into custody,” Snelling said. “And at some point, we will, we will get justice for this family…”
In a last-minute schedule change, Mayor Brandon Johnson did not attend Huesca’s funeral after it was reported that the officer’s family had asked him to stay away.
A member of Johnson’s press team, along with his Chief of Staff Cristina Pacione-Zayas and Chief of Community Safety Garien Gatewood, were seen at the services.
“We continue to send our deepest condolences to the family and colleagues of Officer Luis Huesca as they heal from the loss of their beloved son, nephew, brother and friend,” Johnson said in a statement prior to the funeral. “As mayor, I vow to continue supporting our police and first responders, uniting our city and remaining committed to working with everyone towards building a better, stronger, safer Chicago.”
Local officials in attendance included Alds. Brian Hopkins (2nd), Lamont Robinson (4th), Anthony Beale (9th), Peter Chico (10th), Nicole Lee (11th), Raymond Lopez (15th), Derrick Curtis (18th), Matthew O’Shea (19th), Mike Rodriguez (22nd), Silvana Tabares (23rd), Felix Cardona (31st), Scott Waguespack (32nd), Nicholas Sposato (38th) and Anthony Napolitano (41st).
Republican candidate for State’s Attorney Bob Fioretti, Illinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza, former Police Supts. Fred Waller and Garry McCarthy, and Cardinal Blase Cupich also attended the funeral.
Lieutenant Nicholas Vasselli said Huesca’s humor and wit was still present when officers cleaned out his locker last week.
“There was a paper clip being used as a lock,” Vasselli said. “There was a piece of paper on it that says, ‘This is a lock.'”
Emiliano Huesca Jr. said his younger brother felt like an older one: wise, adventurous and selfless.
Luis Huesca traveled to the forests in Utah, drove a dirt bike on Route 66 from Chicago to California and strived to learn Arabic on his travels to Morocco, Emiliano Huesca Jr. said.
On a trip to Morocco, Luis Huesca responded to a group of women who fell off a motorcycle, “delegating what he could in broken Arabic” — getting them water and towels and even redirecting traffic — before local officers could make it to the scene, his brother said.
“He was a well-rounded person … topics range from dinosaurs, genetics. He’ll tell me he’s learning this new song on piano … we’d end up talking about the politics of Europe,” Huesca Jr. said. “He taught me to be curious.”
Luis Huesca helped organize funeral arrangements for the late father of his friend Karim Ismat, Ismat said. He formed a relationship with Ismat’s family as they shared their respective cultures, and he was quick to invite those who dared to join him on his road trips, Ismat said.
Huesca was “relentlessly dependable,” Ismat said. “He just included everyone in the fold.”
Officer Christian Calderon, Huesca’s partner, said he chose Huesca as his son’s godfather. Calderon recalled the pair being the first to respond to gunshots in an alleyway on one of their first nights working together.
“Not many of us speak in the uniform about being afraid on the job,” Calderon said. “It became natural for us to always say, ‘I love you.'”
Huesca is survived by his mother, brother, sister, uncle and young nephew, among other relatives.
More photos from Huesca’s service:
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