The family of a slain Chicago police officer demanded that Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) stay away from his funeral on Monday as the search for his killer continues.
Officer Luis M. Huesca, 30, was shot and killed just before 3:00 a.m. on Sunday while driving home from work, Breitbart News reported.
He was still in uniform when fellow officers discovered him, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.
Huesca’s vehicle was missing from the scene, but police have not indicated if the carjacking was related to or occurred after the shooting, according to local outlet CWB Chicago.
Rewards totaling $100,000 from multiple agencies are being offered for tips leading to the arrest and conviction of Xavier L. Tate Jr., an Aurora man whom investigators claim killed the off-duty cop.
Huesca, who was two days shy of celebrating his thirty-first birthday, had been with the Chicago Police Department for six years when he was murdered.
Mayor Johnson released a statement shortly after the shooting, saying he met with the fallen officer’s mother and uncle “and assured them that they have the full support of my administration as they deal with this unspeakable loss.”
“Our city is grieving, and our condolences go out to their entire family as well as Luis’ fellow officers and community,” he said.
While Johnson and other politicians were slated to attend Huesca’s funeral, NBC News reporter Mary Ann Ahern said sources told her that his family directed them not to.
“Pritzker is honoring those wishes,” Ahern said.
When Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza asked the family what she could do for them at Sunday’s wake, Huesca’s mother reportedly said, “Tell the mayor not to come. We do not want him there.”
“Tomorrow is about my son and my family’s grief. We do not want him to disrespect his memory. The mayor does not support the police,” the grieving mother was quoted as saying.
“Mendoza relayed that information to the mayor’s chief of staff and later directly to the mayor,” Ahern reported. “The mayor listened to the family’s concerns but did not indicate if he would honor the family’s wishes.”
Mendoza confirmed the interaction on Monday morning and called out Johnson’s plans to still attend.
“It is not too late to honor Fallen Officer Huesca by respecting his mother’s wishes,” she said, along with a press release from the mayor’s office that still said he would be at the funeral as of 10:35 p.m. the night before it was to take place.
Shortly before 9:00 a.m. on Monday — the start time of Huesca’s service — Johnson’s office backed out.
“We continue to send our deepest condolences to the family and colleagues of Officer Luis Huesca as they heal from the loss of their beloved son, nephew, brother, and friend,” the mayor said in a statement.
“As mayor, I vow to continue supporting our police and first responders, uniting our city, and remaining committed to working with everyone towards building a better, stronger, safer Chicago.”
WGN News’s Courtney Spinelli also reported that the chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), Andrea Kersten, was asked to leave after showing up at Huesca’s wake.
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