Shortly after dozens of law enforcement officers and community leaders paid their final respects to slain Chicago police officer Luis Huesca, police spoke of progress into the investigation as the search for the suspect continues.
“Our Detective Division, our officers are working, they have not stopped working since this happened," Police Supt. Larry Snelling told reporters Monday afternoon. "And there have been some major, major breaks. And other leads, what I can tell you is the officer's weapon was recovered, which I know that was reported. And that was done through some great, great work by our detectives, and by other members of Chicago Police Department, we're going to continue to work diligently until we take this individual into custody."
During the update, Snelling also said officers promised to “get justice” his family.
Monday, NBC 5 Investigates learned that Chicago police had recovered Officer Luis Huesca’s 9 mm Glock service handgun Friday at a residence in the city's Morgan Park neighborhood.
NBC Chicago obtained both a Chicago police report and a proffer filed on Monday in Cook County Criminal Court. The reports stated officers spoke with a 20-year-old man named Caschaus Tate, who is described as “an associate” -- but not a relative -- of Xavier Tate, the man charged with Officer Huesca’s murder.
As of Monday night, Xavier Tate was not yet in police custody.
The report said Caschaus Tate was seen “discard[ing] a firearm over the fence into the [neighboring] yard” and “the firearm was discovered to be a Glock semi-automatic pistol.” NBC 5 Investigates confirmed with law enforcement that the Glock was, indeed, Officer Huesca’s service weapon.
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The court documents also stated that Officer Huesca’s gun was “uncased [and] unloaded” when it was found.
Huesca, a sixth-year officer, was returning home from his shift on April 21 when he was fatally shot near his home in Gage Park.
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A police report shows Huesca sustained a gunshot wound to the face. His Toyota SUV was said to be stolen but was later recovered. A police report indicated officers were investigating the incident as a potential carjacking.
Friday, a judge signed an arrest warrant and felony complaint of first-degree murder against 22-year old Xavier Tate Jr., who court documents allege used a 40-caliber handgun to shoot Huesca.
Court records show Tate was due in court last week on an unrelated trespassing charge but did not show. A person who answered a number associated with him said they had no spoken to Tate and hung up on a reporter.
Over the weekend, several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, ATF and CrimeStoppers and Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, put forth a combined $100,000 reward leading to an arrest and conviction.
Additional court records show that officers responded Friday afternoon to a house near 108th and Hale in connection to Huesca’s murder. Court records confirm that officers observed a male in that house dispose of a gun over the fence.
That person was detained and is facing a weapons-related charge.
Officers honor Luis Huesca at Chicago Funeral
The new information comes hour after law enforcement personnel packed the seats at St. Rita Cascia Shrine Chapel in the city's Beverly View neighborhood to honor Huesca.
One by one, family, friends and colleagues shared emotional stories at the funeral of the slain officer, each revealing a beautiful tribute to the man they knew -- the man he was both with and without his badge.
"When I first heard the tragic news, I really struggled to find sufficient words to describe [Luis] to those who didn't have the privilege 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.
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.
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."
