Man found guilty of first-degree murder in killing of Chicago Police Officer Andrés Vásquez Lasso
Man found guilty of killing Chicago police officer
Steven Montano, accused of fatally shooting Chicago Police Officer Andr?s V?squez Lasso, has been found guilty of first-degree murder.
CHICAGO - A man accused of fatally shooting Chicago Police Officer Andrés Vásquez Lasso has been found guilty of first-degree murder.
Steven Montano, 21, was convicted Monday in the March 1, 2023, shooting that killed Vásquez Lasso. The 32-year-old officer had served five years with the department.
The verdict came down after the jury deliberated for less than two hours.
"I'm glad the jury clearly saw through all the nonsense and the lies and the fantasies… Now he (Montano) will spend the rest of his life in the Department of Corrections where he belongs," said John Catanzara with the Fraternal Order of Police said in a press conference. "Right now we're just gonna remember Andrés as the amazing person that he was, and officer second."
Officials give live update after verdict reached in killing of Chicago officer
A man accused of fatally shooting Chicago Police Officer Andr?s V?squez Lasso has been found guilty of first-degree murder.
The Chicago Police Department issued a statement following the verdict, shared below:
"While this first-degree murder of a police officer conviction does not bring back fallen Officer Andrés Mauricio Vasquez Lasso, it does offer a small measure of justice. Each day since we lost Andrés, his family has had to relive the trauma of what they experienced on March 1, 2023. We cannot and will not forget the sacrifices that they also made for our city amidst his loss. Andrés was a courageous officer who protected the people of our city, even in his final moments. Though this trial is over, we will honor Andrés' legacy by carrying on his mission of service," CPD said.
Montano testified in his own defense on Friday after testimony from an assistant medical examiner. He testified that he panicked because he was afraid of police officers.
Led by his attorney, Montano told several stories about encounters with police when he was a child, in which he said family members were harassed and profiled.
But under cross-examination by prosecutors, Montano had difficulty remembering specific details about those alleged encounters.
He's due back in court on September 3.
Fatal shooting of Officer Andrés Vásquez Lasso
The backstory:
On March 1, 2023, Chicago police were responding to a domestic call of a man chasing a woman with a gun.
Montano is the man accused of gunning down Officer Vásquez Lasso around 4:45 p.m., as Montano was being chased by the officer in the 5200 block of South Spaulding Avenue — across the street from Sawyer Elementary School.
Vásquez Lasso, 32, was shot several times, police said. He was taken in "extremely critical condition" to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where he died and where a large group of officers somberly gathered through the night before his body was taken by procession to the Cook County morgue on the West Side.
Despite his wounds, Vásquez Lasso was able to return fire and shot Montano in the head, according to police. Montano was transported to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.
Maria Davila said she was watching a movie on her phone in her home when the shooting happened. It was nice out and kids were hanging out at the school playground across the street. She heard a loud noise and "thought it was fireworks at first."
Davila went to the window and saw a man down in a parking lot next to the playground, holding his chest and shouting, and another man — Vasquez Lasso — lying closer to the playground and not moving. The dozen or so kids at the school were hiding beneath playground equipment.
"He was always smiling"
Dig deeper:
Vasquez Lasso was married and had a young daughter. They had just moved into a home in Marquette Park a little over a year ago, according to a neighbor, Sara Montemayor.
"I just saw them the day before out walking their dog. I know the grandma is over a lot to help out with the daughter" said Montemayor, 34. "It’s hard knowing that happened to a neighbor."
Vasquez Lasso was shot just 2 1/2 miles from his home. A day after the shooting, four police officers from the Chicago Lawn Police District arrived at the scene of the shooting with flowers for a memorial.
"We’re out here to pay our respects to our brother in blue," said one of the officers, who declined to give her name.
She said the four of them worked an earlier shift than Vasquez-Lasso and only knew him in passing, but knew he was bright and on the rise.
"He was always smiling," the officer said.
The Source: The information in this article came from the Chicago Police Department and previous FOX 32 reporting.