Fallen Officer Luis Huesca eulogized colleague also killed in Gage Park last year
Fallen Officer Luis Huesca eulogized colleague also killed in Gage Park
Officer Luis Huesca's death comes a little over a year after friend and colleague Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso was shot and killed in Gage Park. Huesca was coming home from work early Sunday morning when he was fatally shot and his car was stolen. His death also comes a year after an officer from his same district was killed while off-duty, 24-year-old Areanah Preston.
CHICAGO - Chicago is mourning the loss of a fallen officer who was killed while off-duty returning home after work on Sunday morning.
Officer Luis Huesca was a 6-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department. He was shot and killed outside his home in Gage Park just two days before his 31st birthday.
Huesca was a friend and colleague of fallen Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso who was shot and killed in the line of duty in the same neighborhood last March.
Last year, Huesca appeared in a department video eulogizing his friend.
"He's one of those guys that actually deserves this star," Huesca said.
Now, the community is remembering Huesca whose life was lost due to "an act of unconscionable gun violence," Mayor Brandon Johnson said.
"He was a great officer, a great human being and his family is dealing with a lot right now", CPD Supt. Larry Snelling said.
Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert in the 5500 block of Kedzie Avenue just before 3 a.m. and found 30-year-old Huesca suffering from multiple gunshot wounds nearby.
He was located in the 3100 block of 56th Street and was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 3:22 a.m. Snelling says he had just finished his shift and was still dressed in his CPD uniform when he was killed.
Police also said Huesca's car was stolen, but it was later recovered not far from the scene.
Huesca's death comes almost a year after 24-year-old Officer Ariana Preston was shot and killed right in front of her home. She was off-duty coming home from work when she was killed in the 8100 block of Blackstone Avenue in Avalon Park in an attempted robbery.
Huesca and Preston both served in the CPD's 5th district.
No one is in custody at this time. Area One detectives are being assisted by Chicago's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in their investigation.
Huesca leaves behind a beloved mother and uncle.
"I met with Officer Huesca’s mother and uncle this morning and assured them that they have the full support of my administration as they deal with this unspeakable loss. Our city is grieving, and our condolences go out to their entire family as well as Luis’ fellow officers and community," Johnson said in a statement on Sunday.