A person carries a cross during Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca’s visitation outside Blake-Lamb Funeral Home in Oak Lawn on Sunday. An arrest warrant is out for Xavier Tate, who is charged with killing Huesca early Sunday in Gage Park as he was driving home from work, according to police.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Hundreds of mourners gathered in suburban Oak Lawn Sunday afternoon to pay their respects to slain Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca.
Law enforcement officers from Romeoville police, Illinois State Police, Indiana State Police and other agencies were among those who lined up outside Blake-Lamb Funeral Home for the visitation service. The line stretched outside and around the building for hours.
A massive American flag hung from the ladder of a Chicago Fire Department truck in front of the funeral home. Motorists passing underneath the billowing flag honked their horns in support of the solemn ceremony.
Sandra Wortham, president of the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, knows the particular kind of pain Huesca’s family is experiencing. Her brother, CPD officer Thomas Eugene Wortham IV, was killed in 2010.
Wortham was joined by other relatives of fallen officers as she spoke to reporters across the street from the funeral home, saying days like Sunday are “kind of unbearable.” She said Huesca’s family is still reeling.
“I think what they want is what we all we want, which is for the offender who committed this murder to be apprehended and to face the justice that he deserves, quickly,” Wortham said. “We, of course, wish we never met them, respectfully, we wish they were living their lives and Officer Huesca was here and doing the job he loved.”
Huesca was attacked while driving from work on April 20 in the 3100 block of West 56th Street, according to police. He was still wearing his uniform when he was shot multiple times. His SUV was stolen and later recovered nearby, according to sources. His gun and badge weren’t found at the scene.
The police department later issued a community alert that included surveillance videos of a person wanted in connection with Huesca’s slaying. On Friday, an arrest warrant was issued for Xavier Tate Jr., 22, of Aurora, who is charged with murder in the attack.
On April 23, what would’ve been Huesca’s 31st birthday, his killing was formally classified as a line-of-duty death. The classification means Huesca’s family will now be entitled to additional benefits.
Huesca’s family expressed the magnitude of their loss in a video shared on social media Saturday by the Fraternal Order of Police. They asked for Huesca’s killer to be brought to justice.
“As a mother, I’ve been asking for justice, it can give us at least a little relief in our pain, because what happened to Luis is not fair, it’s not fair,” Huesca’s mom, Edith, said in the video. “Luis didn’t deserve to die in this way, he was the nicest guy, nice as a person, as a son, as a police officer. He did the best in his life, I feel so proud of him.”
Huesca’s older sister echoed her mother’s words, saying Luis was “the nicest person, and everybody I meet has something so kind to say about him.”
She said the family feels “frustrated and furious” that Luis was taken from them, but his killer is still out there. They were also frustrated at “how violent Chicago has turned.”
“My brother knew this is part of the job, danger is a part of the job, but I can assure you that my brother did not want to die,” his sister said, adding that Huesca had the chance to transfer to another department but chose to stay in Chicago to help his community.
“I want answers, I want the community to show up the same way my brother showed up,” Huesca’s sister said.
Several entities, including the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, are offering a combined $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Tate Jr.
Maria Torres, a member of the Cicero chapter of the Latin American Motorcycle Association, said she attended the visitation Sunday because some of her family members are in law enforcement. She said Huesca’s murder should spur action on gun violence in the city.
“Chicago put your guns down please, put them down, do something about this, this is ridiculous,” Torres said. “He swore to duty that he was going to take care of Chicago, but Chicago decided that they were going to take him.”
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Rita of Cascia Catholic Church at 7740 S. Western Ave. in the Ashburn neighborhood.