An 18-year-old accused in the fatal shooting of Chicago police officer Andrés Vásquez Lasso has been mandatorily held without bail after appearing in court on Wednesday.
The appearance marks the first time Steven Montano has been seen in court, after he remained hospitalized in critical condition for previous proceedings.
Earlier this month, a judge ordered Montano held without bond.
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Montano, of the 2500 block of South Lawndale Avenue, faces a first-degree murder charge, in addition to felony charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon with no FOID card and aggravated discharge of a firearm near a school building, authorities said.
He also faces two misdemeanor charges, for simple assault and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence respectively, officials said.
The 18-year-old was taken into custody moments after the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Vasquez-Lasso, who was laid to rest as thousands of mourners gathered in Chicago earlier this month.
The officer was shot several times on March 1 on the city’s Southwest Side, in the Gage Park neighborhood.
An assistant public defender representing Montano in the most recent hearing said she had not had the opportunity to speak with her client and could provide no information about him.
A public defender for Montano called him an "honor student" who had mentored young children in Lawndale.
The judge said that didn't change what he did, while calling Montano a "flight risk" and "danger to the community."
Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara said this was a clear-cut case.
"I don't know where his life changed, but it wasn't by accident, it was by design. He decided he wanted to go the fast and loose path and play the run-and-gun street game, and sadly, Andres paid for it with his life," Catanzara said.
Prosecutors said Montano was being chased when he suddenly turned around and pointed a gun at Vásquez Lasso. They said Vásquez Lasso gave "multiple verbal commands" to Montano to stop running, but as the officer approached him, Montano "looked over his shoulder" and "immediately turned toward [Vásquez Lasso] while racking the slide on his pistol."
At that point, both the officer and the suspect fired their guns.
"At close range, shots were exchanged," Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said. According to authorities, the officer was struck multiple times in the head and legs, but managed to return fire, striking Montano in the head.
Prosecutors said in court Friday that Montano was uncooperative after the shooting and was Tased before being taken into custody.
The shooting took place near a school playground, forcing students to take shelter.
"At the time of the shooting, there were civilians, including multiple children, on the playground who took cover under a slide," the proffer from bond court stated.
According to officials, an investigation is ongoing, and body camera footage from the responding officers is currently being reviewed.
Montano, of the city's Little Village neighborhood, was previously charged with a misdemeanor in connection with a July 2022 incident in which he fled on foot from a vehicle that was stopped by Chicago police, officials have confirmed.
Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's office said that the suspect was released without bond because of his lack of criminal history.
“The defendant, who had no prior record, was given an I-bond after being charged,” the office said. “The defendant, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was not charged with a felony because the evidence does not support a charge of gun possession.”
Foxx’s office said that the suspect was charged with a misdemeanor for running from the vehicle. The driver was charged with felony counts of illegal gun possession.
