Family, police attend funeral for slain Chicago officer

Dozens of law enforcement officers attended a funeral service Thursday for the first Chicago police officer killed in the line of duty in nearly a year and a half.

Andrés Vásquez Lasso, 32, was shot in the head, arm and leg during a shootout with a suspect March 1 on the city's southwest side after responding to a domestic violence call.

“The city of Chicago lost a guardian, a champion, a hero, but you lost so much more,” 8th District Commander Bryan Spreyne told Vásquez Lasso's family during funeral services at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel.

“You lost one of your deepest loves, one of your fiercest providers and protectors, and one of your greatest advocates and friends," Spreyne said. "You lost someone irreplaceable in Andrés.”

Steven Montano, 18, of Chicago, was charged with first-degree murder, two felony firearms charges and misdemeanor counts of assault and interfering with reporting domestic violence. Montano, who was shot twice in the face during the shootout, was ordered held without bond.

Chicago Police Department Superintendent David Brown commended Vásquez Lasso during Thursday's services.

“At times like these, we are in despair,” Brown said. “We don’t believe anyone really cares about the sacrifices that are made, or knows the courage it takes to constantly run toward danger.”

Spreyne, Vásquez Lasso’s commanding officer, said he was 18 when he arrived in the United States from Colombia. He learned to speak English and joined the city's police department at 27. He would have celebrated his fifth anniversary next week with the department.

Vasqeuz-Lasso became the first Chicago officer to die in the line of duty since Ella French, 29, was slain in August 2021 during a traffic stop shooting that also wounded her partner.