HONORING ‘A TRUE HERO’
Hundreds gather at West Lawn street dedication for Chicago police officer killed in line of duty
Hundreds gathered Saturday at a West Lawn street corner to honor a Chicago police officer killed a year earlier in the line of duty while chasing after a suspect.
Mayor Brandon Johnson unveiled an honorary street sign for Officer Andres Mauricio Vasquez Lasso, telling the large crowd of family, friends and police supporters that the dedication would “ensure Officer Vasquez Lasso’s life and service will never be forgotten.”
“The street dedication will be a reminder to all Chicagoans of his bravery, dedication and what it means to be a police officer in this city,” Johnson said.
Vasquez Lasso, 32, was fatally shot on March 1 last year in an exchange of gunfire with a suspect he had pursued to the 5200 block of South Spaulding Avenue, near Sawyer Elementary School.
Steven Montano, 19, who was also wounded in the shooting, faces a first-degree murder charge. He has pleaded not guilty.
Officers were responding to a report that Montano brandished a gun during an argument with his girlfriend and were led on a foot pursuit, according to Cook County prosecutors, who also allege Montano can be seen turning and firing at Vasquez Lasso on the officer’s body-worn camera.
The street sign dedicated to Vasquez Lasso sits near where the officer lived and about two miles south of the shooting that took his life.
Vasquez Lasso was remembered by loved ones at the dedication as an exceptional student and salsa dancer.
“He had a bright future ahead of him and left an indelible mark,” said Vasquez Lasso’s cousin and fellow CPD officer Jhon Vasquez. “A true hero, he will be remembered not only because he wore an officer’s badge but because of his smile and unwavering love for his family, friends and the community he served.”
Saturday’s dedication was held amid the trial of the man accused of fatally shooting Officer Ella French and wounding her partner Carlos Yanez during a 2021 traffic stop in West Englewood.
Yanez attended the dedication, sitting in the front row with his wife and child.
“There will always be people like Areanah Preston, Ella French and Andres Mauricio Vasquez Lasso who continue to fight so that we may have a safer world,” said Victor Vasquez, Vasquez Lasso’s cousin. “It is up to us to engrave them forever in the depths of our hearts for the eternal gratitude we have for them.”
Preston was killed last May after exchanging gunfire with armed robbers who followed her home after she finished working her shift as a police officer.
Vasquez Lasso is survived by his wife, Milena, as well as his mother, father and sister.