Family, friends gather to remember slain Chicago police officer

Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso’s wife Milena attended the vigil at Hale Park along with hundreds of relatives and friends, many holding lighted candles as they gathered in a circle.

Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso’s wife Milena, right, silently sobs during a vigil for her husband at Hale Park Thursday.
Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso’s wife Milena, right, silently sobs during a vigil for her husband at Hale Park Thursday. Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere / Chicago Sun-Times
Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso’s wife Milena, right, silently sobs during a vigil for her husband at Hale Park Thursday.
Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso’s wife Milena, right, silently sobs during a vigil for her husband at Hale Park Thursday. Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere / Chicago Sun-Times

Family, friends gather to remember slain Chicago police officer

Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso’s wife Milena attended the vigil at Hale Park along with hundreds of relatives and friends, many holding lighted candles as they gathered in a circle.

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Their arms locked around each other, family and friends of slain Chicago police officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso gathered Thursday night for a somber prayer vigil a day after he was killed in the line of duty.

“He was always a proper man, and today we come together to honor him,” said one of the mourners, who identified himself as John, a close friend of the officer. “I hope God gives him rest, that God takes care of his soul and that he is in a better place.”

Vasquez-Lasso’s wife Milena attended the vigil at Hale Park along with hundreds of relatives and friends, many holding lighted candles as they gathered in a circle. Flowers were arranged around photographs of Vasquez-Lasso.

The 32-year-old officer was shot as he chased an armed suspect Wednesday afternoon in the 5200 block of South Spaulding Avenue, across the street from Sawyer Elementary School. Children in the school playground scattered for cover as Vasquez-Lasso exchanged gunfire with the 18-year-old gunman.

Family and friends of Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso gather together in a circle during a vigil for officer Vasquez Lasso at Hale Park Thursday.
Family and friends of Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso gather together in a circle during a vigil for officer Vasquez Lasso at Hale Park Thursday. Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere / Chicago Sun-Times

The officer was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where he died and where a large contingent of officers somberly gathered to pay their respects through the night before his body was taken by procession to the Cook County morgue on the West Side.

The suspect, Steven Montano, was seriously wounded and has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm near a school.

“Sometimes life isn’t what you think it is,” John said at the vigil. “But at this moment we need a lot of strength for his family, not just for now but in the long run. Because I know that it’s not easy for his mom, losing a son is never easy for a mom.

“I would have liked that this reunion be for something like a birthday or Christmas,” he continued. “But it’s God showing us that in this moment, we have to be more united. I thank God for letting me get to know Andres for many years. “

A witness told the Sun-Times she believes Vasquez-Lasso and the other officers who responded Wednesday kept the children safe, including her 10-year-old sister who was playing at the school.

“I feel sorry for the loss of the police officer’s family and his colleagues and friends,” the woman said, asking not to be named out of concern for her safety. “But I’m glad they were there to keep my sister safe and her friends.”

Vasquez-Lasso had been on the force for five years, and he and his wife had a young daughter. The family had just moved into a home in Marquette Park a little over a year ago, according to a neighbor, Sara Montemayor.

“I just saw them the day before out walking their dog. I know the grandma is over a lot to help out with the daughter” said Montemayor, 34. “It’s hard knowing that happened to a neighbor.”

Vasquez-Lasso was shot just 2 1/2 miles from his home. On Thursday morning, four police officers from the Chicago Lawn Police District arrived at the scene of the shooting with flowers for a memorial.

Community members hold a poster of Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso during a vigil at Hale Park Thursday.
Community members hold a poster of Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso during a vigil at Hale Park Thursday. Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere / Chicago Sun-Times

“We’re out here to pay our respects to our brother in blue,” said one of the officers, who declined to give her name.

She said the four of them worked an earlier shift than Vasquez-Lasso and only knew him in passing, but knew he was bright and on the rise. “He was always smiling,” the officer said.

The mother and father of another Chicago Lawn Police District officer arrived to light a candle for Vasquez-Lasso. They said their son knew him.

The mother said they felt they had to come out because, “For me, they’re all my sons. They’re all important to me, and I carry them in my heart and in my prayers.”

The couple lives nearby, and when she heard the sirens and the helicopters and saw the news, she feared the worst.

“It was terrifying,” she said.

She said she called her son and was relieved when he picked up the phone, but was devastated to hear what had happened and to know what had happened to another mother.

“We have sons that every day put their life on the line. We know that they leave, but we don’t know if they’re going to come back,” she said.

An officer from the neighboring Deering Police District drove by as well. He wasn’t working and wanted to come by to pay his respects. The officer joined the force a short time before Chicago Police Officer Ella French was killed in 2021.

“Stuff like this, it’s scary,” he said. “Policing is real.”

GoFundMe page has been started “to help cover funeral costs and to provide support for his loved ones in the days and weeks to come.”