CHICAGO, IL – A tragic incident unfolded in the early hours of Sunday, when an off-duty Chicago police officer was fatally shot on the city’s Southwest Side. The Chicago Police Department confirmed the incident, which occurred in the 8th Police District as the officer was returning home from his shift.
The gunshot detection system alerted officers to the 5500 block of South Kedzie Avenue in the Gage Park neighborhood just before 3 a.m. Upon arriving at the scene, they discovered the off-duty officer in the 3100 block of West 56th Street, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. The officer’s vehicle was missing from the scene, according to the police.
The fallen officer, identified as 30-year-old Luis M. Huesca of the 5th District’s Priority Response Team, was rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. “He was a great officer and a great human being. His family is dealing with a lot right now,” said CPD Supt. Larry Snelling.
A video posted by the Chicago Police Department last year showed Officer Huesca paying tribute to a fellow officer who had been killed in the line of duty. In the video, Huesca expressed his disdain for injustices and lawlessness, stating that it was his motivation for becoming a police officer. Huesca, who was just two days away from his 31st birthday, had served with the department for six years.
The investigation into the incident revealed that Huesca was still in his CPD uniform when he was killed, although it may have been concealed. The missing vehicle was later found less than half a mile away in an alley near 56th Street and Mozart. Officers canvassed the area, collecting evidence and conducting interviews.
This incident comes nearly a year after another officer from the same district, Officer Aréanah Preston, was killed by gun violence. Dionne Mhoon, Preston’s mother, expressed her support for Huesca’s family, recalling the pain of losing her own daughter. “I thought about that family. I thought about how it’s almost a year, and I am nowhere near okay,” Mhoon said.
The investigation into Officer Huesca’s death is ongoing, with no suspects identified as of yet. The motive for the shooting remains unclear.