Chicago police officer fatally shot; suspect identified

CHICAGO — A five-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department was fatally shot as he chased an armed suspect on Wednesday, authorities said.

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Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso, 32, was killed after an exchange of gunfire with a man accused of chasing a woman down the street with a gun, WLS-TV reported. The shooting occurred at Gage Park in the southwest area of the city, according to the television station.

Update 9:46 p.m. EST March 2: Police identified the suspect as Steven Montano, 18, of Chicago, WLS-TV reported.

According to a news release from the Chicago Police Department, Montano was charged with first-degree murder and two felony firearms charges, along with misdemeanor counts of assault and interfering with reporting domestic violence.

Montano, who is in custody, is due in bond court on Friday, WLS reported.

Original report: The 18-year-old male suspect, who is in critical condition at an area hospital, has not been identified because no charges have been filed so far, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Police Superintendent David Brown told reporters that Vasquez-Lasso was hit several times in the face and leg but was able to return fire, shooting the suspect in the head, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. He was taken to Mount Sinai in critical condition but died shortly after arriving at the hospital, WMAQ-TV reported.

Vasquez-Lasso was originally from Cali, Colombia, and based out of the 8th Police District, the area where he also lived, according to WLS.

“I ask that the city cover this officer’s family,” Brown told reporters during a news conference on Wednesday. “This is a family of public servants, and as you can imagine, they are taking this tragedy very hard. Young officer, right at five years. Had a bright future ahead of him. This is something that no family should have to face.”

Court records showed that Cook County prosecutors in November dropped a misdemeanor charge against the suspect after he was accused of fleeing from officers who were investigating a shooting, the Tribune reported. According to a statement from Cook County state’s attorney Kim Foxx, the suspect was offered community service as an alternative to prosecution, the newspaper reported.

“My heart breaks and I am furious because there is a war going on in the streets of Chicago where criminals have no fear,” 23rd Ward Alderman Silvana Tabares, who lives in the ward where the slain officer’s family lives, told WLS. “They run to danger to protect us. And that is what happened yesterday. Look what happened. And that’s why I say Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso is a hero and he will never be forgotten.”

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot told reporters that police officers “need our thanks.”

“I want to remind people that every single day, on every shift, officers run to danger for our safety. If you see an officer tonight, or the next day, thank them for their service,” Lightfoot said. “They need our thanks. They need our support, they need to know that every one of our city has their backs.”

Vasquez-Lasso’s family has started a GoFundMe account to cover funeral expenses and to help the officer’s immediate family.