Honoring the Ultimate Sacrifice: Remembering Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso
The courageous men and women of the Chicago police department have suffered a tragic loss of one of their own to the ultimate sacrifice of protecting our communities. Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso, 32, was responding to a call about a person with a firearm on Wednesday when an exchange of gunfire between an officer and the suspect occurred at close range.[0] The officer was shot multiple times and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Mount Sinai Hospital.[1] The accused was transported to a nearby medical facility and is currently in a life-threatening state.[2]
The death of the officer is a somber reminder of the risks that police officers take each and every day. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot urged people to thank officers for their service if they encounter them. Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson, candidates for the mayoral runoff election, both released statements regarding the passing of the officer who died in the line of duty.[3]
The woman was also wounded in the shooting and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center with graze wounds to her face and legs.[4] Police Superintendent David Brown said that the offender is 18 years old and only has one prior violation.[5] He noted that the officer was a five-year veteran of the police force who had a bright future ahead of him.[6]
The shooting comes on the heels of Brown's announcement that he is resigning later this month.[7] He said that there are broken hearts that will take a long time to grieve and accept this.[6] Violence must come to an end, and the city must come together to support the families of officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice.[8]
0. “Chicago Police Officer Killed By Gunman While On Duty: Authorities” Patch, 2 Mar. 2023, https://patch.com/illinois/chicago/chicago-police-officer-killed-responding-domestic-incident-reports
1. “Chicago police officer killed in gunfight with suspect” UPI News, 2 Mar. 2023, https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2023/03/02/Chicago-police-officer-killed-shooting/7021677729807/
2. “Chicago police officer fatally shot on Southwest Side” FOX 32 Chicago, 1 Mar. 2023, https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-police-officer-shot-gage-park
3. “Chicago Police Officer Shot and Killed on Southwest Side” msnNOW, 2 Mar. 2023, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/chicago-police-officer-shot-and-killed-on-southwest-side/ar-AA186BJn?li=BBnbfcL
4. “Cook County officer among 2 shot on Near South Side” The Chicago Monitor, 27 Feb. 2023, https://chicagomonitor.com/2023/02/cook-county-officer-among-2-shot-on-near-south-side/
5. “Chicago police officer shot and killed on city’s South Side” CIProud.com, 1 Mar. 2023, https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/source-chicago-police-officer-shot-on-citys-south-side
6. “Chicago police officer killed, suspect in critical condition after shootout” Fox News, 2 Mar. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/us/chicago-police-officer-shot-rushed-hospital
7. “Chicago police officer in ‘very critical' condition after being shot on Southwest Side” Brunswick News, 2 Mar. 2023, https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/national_news/chicago-police-officer-in-very-critical-condition-after-being-shot-on-southwest-side/article_29f51152-acdd-537e-8e70-fe25ce654980.html
8. “Chicago elected officials, candidates mourn fallen CPD officer” WGN TV Chicago, 2 Mar. 2023, https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/chicago-elected-officials-candidates-mourn-fallen-cpd-officer/
