In jarring video footage, jurors Thursday watched the final moments of Chicago Police Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso’s life, from his own perspective.
The trial of the officer’s alleged killer, Steven Montano, resumed Thursday morning with footage from Vasquez Lasso’s body-worn camera viewed in the courtroom. The case, which began this week, is expected to head to a jury Friday to begin deliberations.
On the afternoon of March 1, 2023, Vasquez Lasso and his partner were responding to a domestic incident when they spotted a possible suspect running toward an elementary school with a gun.
What followed was captured on Vasquez Lasso’s bodycam. In the video, he jumps out of his car and begins to chase after the man, while screaming out, “Stop! Stop! Stop!”
Seconds later, the man turns and points a gun at Vasquez Lasso, standing feet away.
Shots ring out, and the officer falls backward. His bodycam shows just the sky above.
Another officer enters the video frame, removes Vasquez Lasso’s vest and appears to begin chest compressions. The officer yells out, “Come on man! Come on, man!” as more screams are heard in the background.
The man, identified as then-18-year-old Montano, had fired five times, hitting Vasquez Lasso in his head, arm and leg, according to prosecutors. Vasquez Lasso fired twice, hitting Montano in his face.
Earlier that afternoon, Montano and his girlfriend, Linda Perea, were arguing when he charged at her and told her he had a gun, Perea testified Tuesday.
She called 911 and reported that Montano was armed, but he hung up on dispatchers and threw away the phone, 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, according to prosecutors.
Vasquez Lasso and his partner, Chicago Police Officer Miguel Enciso, arrived as backup and spotted a man matching Montano’s description running toward the playground of Sawyer Elementary School.
Vasquez Lasso ran after the man, and moments later, Enciso heard gunshots.
When Enciso arrived at the playground, he saw Vasquez Lasso on the ground, bleeding from his head, and Montano seated about 15 feet away, with a gun nearby.
Montano began to walk toward Enciso, begging the officer to kill him, too, the officer testified Wednesday. Fellow officers arrived and began rendering aid to Vasquez Lasso, but there were no signs of life, an officer testified Tuesday.
Officers carried Vasquez Lasso into a squad car and rushed him 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.
The 32-year-old personified the American dream, according to fellow officers. He came to the United States from Colombia at the age of 18, learned English and joined the Chicago Police Department at 27.
Throughout his life, Vasquez Lasso made choices to be proud of, Assistant State’s Attorney Katie Siefert told jurors Tuesday.
“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,” Siefert said.
Montano, on the other hand, made “despicable choices,” according to Siefert, choosing to bring a gun to a playground and fire at a uniformed Chicago police officer.
Montano’s defense claims he had trouble in school, was separated from his parents and was wary of police. They argued Montano was attempting to run away when he was cornered and had “the most unfortunate reaction.”
The shooting was an “extremely tragic situation,” but was not first-degree murder, according to Montano’s attorneys,
Prosecutors called what’s expected to be their final witness Thursday afternoon, clearing the way for the defense to begin presenting its case Friday. Montano is still expected to take the stand in his own defense.