One by one, family, friends and colleagues shared emotional stories at the funeral of fallen Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca, each revealing a beautiful tribute to the man they knew -- the man he was both with and without his badge.
Huesca was shot and killed while on his way home from a shift earlier this month in a frightening attack that stunned Chicago.
Speaking to a packed church full of law enforcement officers, relatives and more, Huesca's partner, brother, best friends and coworkers each remembered him as a kind-hearted, family-oriented, "big kid" who loved to travel.
"When I first heard the tragic news, I really struggled to find sufficient words to describe [Luis] to those who didn't have the priviledge of meeting him. But I kept returning to the phrase 'give the shirt off his back.' Because that's exactly what Luis was. He was the kind of man who would go out of his way to help others no matter what," said his friend Karim Ismat.
Huesca, a six-year veteran of the force, was just two days shy of his 31st birthday when he was shot on April 21 in the 3100 block of West 56th Street. Police have issued an arrest warrant for Xavier Tate Jr., 22, who is wanted in connection with the murder. Moments after his funeral, CPD Supt. Larry Snelling revealed an update in the case.
"I can tell you this right now the the without giving too much away at this moment," Snelling said. "Our Detective Division, our officers are working, they have not stopped working since this happened. And there have been some major, major breaks and other leads. What I can tell you is the officer's weapon was recovered."
In their stories of Huesca, many remembered his love of adventure.
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"Luis would sometimes take me to the most random places around the United States or outside of here," his brother Emiliano Huesca Jr. said. "And he would be like, 'Let's go to this,' you will look at maps, and he'll be like, 'Let's go to this place and let's see if we can find something interesting.' And me being scared that ... we're like going in remote places without any cell signal or anything. I always thought like, 'Oh my goodness, what happens if we get lost or whatnot?' But Luis always knew how to find a way. And Luis was always brave to go into the forest."
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But even in his travels, Huesca often found a way to help others.
"One time we were driving through North Africa and then an accident happened and right in front of us. The first thing that Luis did is he traded badges with some of the Morrocan cops. And he put a Moroccan badge on and right away just went to to to attend the lady that fell from her motorcycle," Huesca Jr. said. "Afterwards, he started delegating the most he could with his broken Arabic. Telling people, 'Can you get water? Can you get the towel to rest the lady's head?' And then after the situation was under control, he started directing traffic. So even though he was not in Chicago, he was still doing like his his duty as a police officer there."
Among the stories shared were memories of Huesca spending family events with his godson or his nieces and nephews, helping friends during unimaginable losses, taking care of others' loved ones when they couldn't, or showcasing his humor.
In the middle of the long list of speakers who offered their tributes was Officer Lucia Chavez, who was a close friend and classmate to both Huesca and another fallen officer, Andrés Vásquez-Lasso, who was killed just 13 months earlier while responding to a domestic disturbance call.
"I lost Andrés and now Luis," Chavez said. "I lost my two classmates, my best friends, my brothers. The violence in this city took them away from me, from us."
Notably absent from the crowd were Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Johnson released a statement Monday morning as he updated his public schedule to remove the funeral from his itinerary.
"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," Johnson 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. My heart is with the Huesca family today. God bless them and God bless the City of Chicago."
The last-minute change came after multiple sources told NBC Chicago Huesca's family asked Johnson not to come.
Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza said she and another state official were asked by Huesca's "grief stricken mother" to tell Johnson "he was unwelcome at her son's funeral."
Some at the funeral noted the lack of justice in Huesca's killing has prevented them from closure, though they remained confident that an arrest would be made.
But in the end, it was Huesca's character that took center stage.
"Luis, your nickname should be Lionheart. You're an exceptional person with courage, bravery, community, humility and pride in your work," Huesca Jr. said, reciting a letter he wrote to his late brother. "And you have dedication for those you touch, rest in peace, my brother, and I love you."
