More than two years after a Chicago police officer was fatally shot while responding to a domestic incident in Gage Park, the trial of his alleged killer began Tuesday with prosecutors introducing jurors to two men who they say lived two very different lives.
Chicago police Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso made choices to be proud of, Assistant State’s Attorney Katie Siefert told jurors Tuesday morning.
“He made a choice to put on that uniform,” Siefert said. “He made a choice to serve his community, he made a choice to answer his calling to serve and protect, and he was killed in the line of duty doing just that.”
On the other hand, Steven Montano, the 21-year-old charged with killing Lasso, made a series of “despicable choices,” she said.
“He made a choice to run onto a playground with that loaded handgun, and he made a choice to point a loaded handgun at a uniformed Chicago police officer,” Siefert said. “When he was done making those choices, he made five more,” Siefert added, referring to the five shots Montano allegedly fired at Vasquez Lasso.
The courtroom at Leighton Criminal Courthouse was packed with Vasquez Lasso’s family and fellow officers, who were there to hear opening statements in Montano’s trial.
His defense painted a picture of a then-18-year-old who had been separated from his parents, was wary of police, and “had a very unfortunate reaction” when pursued by officers on March 1, 2023.
“This is not first-degree murder,” Assistant Public Defender Hussain Khan told jurors. “He was de-escalating, he was running away, and he was cornered and had the most unfortunate reaction.”
Khan told jurors they would hear from more than 20 witnesses over a week, but he asked that they keep an open mind.
“They will tell you what happened,” Khan told jurors. “Not one person will tell you why it happened, except for Steven.”
Montano’s defense attorneys said they expected to call him to testify.
After openings, the state’s first witness was Vasquez Lasso’s wife, Milena Estepa, who recounted for jurors the morning hours of March 1, 2023, when the officer woke up early to say goodbye before Estepa left for work as a flight attendant.
Later that day, a police squad car would rush Estepa from O’Hare Airport to Mount Sinai Hospital to see her husband one last time. Estepa kept her answers brief, fighting through tears during her 10 minutes on the stand.
Hundreds mourned the death of Vasquez Lasso, who officers said personified the American dream.
Vasquez Lasso came to the United States from Colombia at the age of 18, learned English and joined the Chicago Police Department at 27.
On March 1, 2023, Vasquez Lasso was working an afternoon shift in the Chicago Lawn District when officers were called to a domestic incident in the 5200 block of South Spaulding Avenue.
Montano and his then-37-year-old girlfriend, Linda Perea, had been arguing when he charged at her and told her he had a gun, she testified in court Tuesday.
Perea left the apartment by a side door, called 911 and reported that Montano was armed, but Montano followed her, hung up on dispatchers and threw the phone away, she said.
When officers arrived, Montano jumped from a window into a gangway and ran toward an alley, carrying what appeared to be a gun, prosecutors said.
Vasquez Lasso arrived as backup and spotted Montano running toward Sawyer Elementary School. He chased Montano, repeatedly ordering Montano to stop, prosecutors said.
As Montano ran into a fenced playground area, he abruptly turned and pointed a gun at Vasquez Lasso, prosecutors said. He fired five times, hitting Vasquez Lasso in the head, arm and leg, prosecutors said. The officer fired twice, hitting Montano in the face.
On Tuesday afternoon, jurors viewed body camera footage from the first officers to find Vasquez Lasso and his partner on the playground.
While Vasquez Lasso’s partner attempted to detain Montano, Officer Juan Guerrero arrived and began performing aid.
Guerrero and his partner, Officer Lisbeth Zamora-Mitre, were the first to respond to the initial incident and call out over the radio that Montano was running from a backyard toward Spaulding. Less than a minute later, Guerrero and Zamora-Mitre heard gunshots near the school, as Vasquez Lasso’s partner declared an emergency over the police radio.
“The way his voice sounded, I began to think the worst, after those gunshots as well,” Guerrero said Tuesday. “I tried to run even faster than I was already running.”
Body camera footage played for jurors showed Guerrero arriving at the school playground to find Vasquez Lasso on the ground on his back, with his arms spread out. He was bleeding from his head.
Guerrero cries out, “Officer down! Officer down!”
Guerrero attempted to perform CPR on Vasquez Lasso, but testified there were no signs of life.
Vasquez Lasso was rushed by Guerrero and fellow officers to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he later died.
Vasquez Lasso is one of eight officers killed in line-of-duty shootings since 2018, according to the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation. Most recently, Officer Krystal Rivera was “unintentionally” shot and killed by her partner during a foot pursuit in Chatham.
Montano’s trial is expected to last through the rest of the week.