UPDATE: Lewis eulogized as a "Gentle Giant" and a "Purposeful Man"
Chicago Police will say goodbye to one of their own Thursday morning as they continue to search for his killer.
Public funeral services for Officer Clifton Lewis began at 11 a.m. at United Missionary Baptist Church, at 4242 W. Roosevelt Road. Visitation, also open to the public, began at 10 a.m. following a ceremonial procession to the church. The burial will be private.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Police Supt. Garry McCarthy and Gov. Pat Quinn remembered Lewis during the funeral.
In lieu of flowers, family members request donations be made to PAWS Chicago in the name of Ofc. Clifton Lewis.
Lewis, 41, was working his part-time job Dec. 29 at M&M Quick Foods in the Austin neighborhood when two masked men walked in to rob the store. Lewis was shot in the head and died.
Lewis had eight years of service with the department and most recently was assigned to the 15th District. The officer proposed to his longtime girlfriend on Christmas Day, four days before his death. He is survived by his fiance, young daughter and stepson.
On Wednesday officers from the 15th District went door-to-door asking for help from the community to find the person who killed Lewis. As of Thursday the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Lewis' killer increased to $34,000.
Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said the department has significant leads but no arrests have been made.
"The point is we haven't caught the right bit of information," McCarthy said Wednesday. "People are telling us things, we chase them down, and we find out there's not a lot to it."
Anyone with information should contact police at 888-YPO-SHOT.
Clifton was one of two officers killed in 2011. Officer Hester Scott was found beaten to death in November, her body found in a sewer trap behind her Gresham home. Scott's grandson, Keshawn Perkins, was charged with first-degree murder.
