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By Tim Hadac
Police and others across the Southwest Side reacted with outrage this week over the slaying of a Chicago Police officer in the early morning hours on Sunday.
Officer Luis M. Huesca was shot to death on the street in the 3100 block of West 56th Street at 2:53 a.m. April 21.
He had just gotten off his shift in the Calumet (5th) District on the South Side and was apparently exiting his vehicle to go to his home nearby.
He was wearing his CPD uniform, with a jacket over it.
Police were made aware of the crime by a ShotSpotter alert, five minutes before the first 911 call came in. Officer Huesca was found in the street, shot multiple times, steps from his home. His gun and vehicle were missing.
He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Officer Huesca was “a great officer, a great human being,” CPD Supt. Larry Snelling said as he answered news reporters’ questions outside the medical center. He described the fatal shooting as a “senseless, senseless” crime” committed by “brazen and cowardly” criminals carrying out “violent acts against the decent, hard-working people of this city who are just trying to live their lives the right way…it has got to stop.”
Officer Huesca died two days before his 31st birthday. He was a six-year member of the force.
Southwest Side elected officials issued statements, perhaps most notably 23rd Ward Ald. Silvana Tabares.
Chicago “needs a reality check,” she said. “It is hard for many to fully comprehend the day-to-day dangers that officers face in this city. Whether on the beat or in front of their homes, they never clock out. They wear the blue with pride, also knowing it’s a target. It never should be, but it is. It is our responsibility as elected officials in this city to recognize this reality when discussing public safety.
“May justice be swift and unwavering,” she added. “May Officer Huesca never be forgotten. May we come together as a city to support and uplift the friends and family of Officer Huesca and stand with his brothers and sisters in blue.”
Perhaps the strongest response came from Southwest Sider John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge 7.
“Some piece of sh~t predator decided that taking someone’s car wasn’t enough,” he said in a video posted to the internet. “They had to execute him because he was a Chicago Police officer and they didn’t want to get caught.
“If they will do that to a Chicago Police officer, does anybody think the average citizen stands a chance in any of these situations? Because you do not,” he continued.
Catanzara used the slaying to make a point about pretextual stops (when police curb a vehicle for a minor infraction—which can lead to discovery of major crimes, like illegal possession of weapons and drugs).
Critics of pretextual stops often refer to the practice as “overpolicing” and even racist.
Saying that the thousands of weapons confiscated by police every year in Chicago were at multiple points carried in a vehicle, Catanzara said, “To the idiots who think pretextual traffic stops are a problem, I can assure you, I’m sure Luis’ mom would have prayed that a pretextual stop would have occurred an hour prior to that piece of sh~t shooting her son, so [the criminal] would have been off the street and that gun would have been off the street.”
Those with useful information to share about the slaying of Officer Huesca are encouraged to call CPD Area 1 detectives at (312) 747-8380. Additionally, a cash reward of up to $10,000 is available for tips leading to the arrest of those responsible for the killing. The reward is offered by the non-profit Cook County Crime Stoppers. Callers should phone 1-800-535-STOP. Callers need not give their names. They will be given a unique identification number when can be used later to claim the reward.