Off-duty Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca's murder is another city tragedy

Chicago Police Department

It was just over a year ago that Luis Huesca's Chicago Police Academy classmate Andres Vasquez-Lasso was killed in the line of duty in March 2023 — in front of children playing at a school — as he chased an armed suspect on the Southwest Side.

And it was less than a year ago that another one of Huesca's young, highly-respected peers, Aréanah Preston, was gunned down as she was on her way home to Avalon Park following her shift.

In a video tribute to Vasquez-Lasso, 32, Huesca said of his newly married pal, "Whether it was at work or outside of work, he could take the time to help others."

Similar praise dominated the tributes to 24-year-old Preston, who was just days away from receiving her master's degree from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law when she was murdered last May.

Huesca, who was shot to death over the weekend in an off-duty carjacking, is now on the receiving end of the posthumous recognition and adulation for being a "great officer, great human being," as police Supt. Larry Snelling put it.

The loss of another promising young Chicago police officer is heartbreaking for family, friends and fellow officers. It is a tragedy also for our city as a whole, which so desperately needs the enthusiasm and commitment of newcomers in the ranks of those who take an oath to serve and protect Chicago.

No law enforcement official deserves such a fate, it goes without saying. For young officers in their prime — Huesca, Preston, Vasquez-Lasso and Officer Ella French, who was killed in 2021 by a since-convicted gunman who fired on her and her partners during a routine traffic stop in West Englewood — the loss hits especially hard.

Nationwide, 47 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty this year, 15 of them by gunfire, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. Huesca, 30, was the first officer to lose his life in gun violence this year in Chicago, according to Chicago police.

We hope he is the last.

However, 28 other officers have been shot at so far in 2024. Among those officers, three were injured. Just last month, an officer was struck in the wrist when motorist Dexter Reed shot at police during an apparent traffic stop, prompting them to return fire that killed Reed. Reed's killing sparked protests and raised questions about the use of excessive force, given that officers fired on Reed 96 times.

The murder of a police officer, still in his uniform, should also spark outrage all across Chicago. Another incident of gun violence, committed by brazen criminals who don't think twice about killing a cop and stealing his car, gun and badge.

We suspect every officer, at some point, fears that he or she might lose their life on the job at some point. They probably ponder it a bit less when they punch out, even though they are well aware that danger is always lurking.

Preston and Huesca had punched out and were just trying to make it home when they were killed. Huesca had his vehicle, a Toyota 4Runner, taken from him as he was en route to his Gage Park residence, police said.

On Monday, Chicago police issued photographs of a "person of interest" in the murder.

For every murder that occurs, someone, somewhere, has information that could help bring the perpetrator to justice. We urge anyone who might have information about Huesca's murder to submit a tip — it can be anonymous — at CPDTIP.com.

Three years ago, following the murder of Ella French, we wrote this about the Chicago police insignia French wore on her sleeve: "In a better world — a better city — that should have been the only armor she needed. It should have kept her safe."

Every officer wears that insignia. That statement still holds true.

But Huesca's murder shows us how far Chicago has to go to so that they — and the rest of us — can truly be safe.

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