Chicago police on Monday evening released surveillance videos of a person wanted in connection with their investigation of the fatal shooting of Officer Luis Huesca over the weekend in Gage Park.
A community alert asks for help identifying the male “subject” sought in relation to the attack early Sunday in the 3100 block of West 56th Street, where Huesca was shot multiple times before his SUV was stolen.
The videos were released to the public in the alert after the department initially issued an internal alert seeking to identify the subject from screengrabs of the videos, which appear to show him making purchases at two convenience stores and walking down a dark street.
Both alerts warn he should be “considered armed and dangerous.”
We are seeking to identify this individual regarding the murder of CPD Officer Luis Huesca in the 3100 block of West 56th St. on April 21, 2024. If you have information, contact the Area One Detective Division at 312-747-8380 or submit an anonymous tip at https://t.co/Ys8tc9a2C4. pic.twitter.com/FQtZKWwofb
— Chicago Police Communications & News Affairs (@CPD_Media) April 22, 2024
Detectives believe the individual was in the area around the time of the shooting and changed clothes afterward, according to a source briefed on the investigation. Police have since recovered discarded clothing and a water bottle that he allegedly purchased at a nearby store.
The videos show him wearing two different outfits, and he’s seen buying a water bottle in one of them.
Huesca was returning from work in his police uniform around 2:55 a.m. Sunday when he was shot just a couple blocks from his apartment, authorities have said. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Although the city’s ShotSpotter gunshot detection system registered only four rounds, law enforcement sources said roughly 30 gunshots were fired.
The officer’s SUV was stolen and later recovered nearby, sources said. His gun and police badge weren’t found at the scene.
During a news conference outside the hospital Sunday morning, Police Supt. Larry Snelling told reporters that Huesca was just two days from his 31st birthday.
Sources have told the Sun-Times that Huesca was killed during an apparent carjacking, but Snelling did not confirm that, only saying the officer’s vehicle had been stolen.
In an internal email to officers, Snelling acknowledged there would “be sadness, anger and grief as we ask how the life of our fellow brother could be taken in this reprehensible act of violence.”
“Our focus right now is on his family and loved ones who are going through the unimaginable trauma of loss,” he added. “We are also focused on apprehending whoever is responsible for this.”
After meeting with Huesca’s mother and uncle, Mayor Brandon Johnson on Sunday described the shooting as “an act of unconscionable gun violence in our city” and similarly vowed to bring justice.
Meanwhile, those who knew Huesca — and many who didn’t — have been left reeling.
Rocio Lasso said she leaned on Huesca after her own son, Andres Vásquez Lasso, was killed in the line of duty on March 1, 2023, just blocks from where Huesca was gunned down.
Huesca and Vásquez Lasso had become fast friends at the police academy, graduating in the same class and hitting the streets together in 2018.
Speaking in Spanish, Rocio Lasso remembered Huesca spending time at her home and enjoying the cuisine from her native Colombia. Now, the two families are united in grief.
On Monday, Rocio Lasso clutched flowers as she walked into Huesca’s apartment building. She said she planned to spend time with his family and see what they need as they grapple with the tragedy.
“It’s almost like a pact we have,” she said. “He was there to support us. Now we’re here to support them.”
She added: “I’ve been through this, so I know what it’s like.”
Pastor Matt Foley, of St. Simon Chapel of St. Gall Roman Catholic Church in the Gage Park neighborhood, met Huesca through his mother and described him as a “good friend and wonderful son.”
“[To] his family, we’ve said that we are with them, we accompany them, we walk with them,” Foley said.
He noted that Huesca was committed to his job and valued the camaraderie with his fellow officers, including Vásquez Lasso.
“Just by how highly he spoke of his good friend, who we lost last year on March 1, was a tremendous reflection of who he is,” Foley said of Huesca and his regard for Vásquez Lasso.
“We will come together as we always have, to overcome all this loss and build a better tomorrow than we experienced today.”
