Family, Chicago police honor fallen officer Areanah Preston

CHICAGO - Three years after Chicago Police Officer Areanah Preston was shot and killed outside her South Side home, her family, fellow officers, and department leadership gathered Tuesday in the Fifth District for a memorial roll call to honor her life and service.

Preston was 24 years old and had just finished her shift when four men attempted to rob her outside her home in the 8100 block of South Blackstone Avenue on May 6, 2023. She was days away from earning a master’s degree from Loyola University.

The ceremony marks one of the most visible reminders of a case that has stretched through the courts for three years and has yet to be fully resolved.

What happened that night

Police said the four suspects had stolen a Kia and used it in several robberies before approaching Preston as she returned home. She was still in uniform. 

At least two of the suspects opened fire. Preston returned fire before she died at the scene. The suspects later burned the vehicle and fled to a nearby apartment, where they were arrested after a SWAT standoff.

Where the cases stand

Joseph Brooks, 22, pleaded guilty in April to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 55 years in prison, broken down as 35 years for murder plus a 20-year gun enhancement. 

By law, Brooks must serve every day of that sentence. Cases against co-defendants Travell Breeland, Jakwon Buchanan, and Jaylen Frazier remain pending.

Three years later

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling addressed the crowd Tuesday morning, asking officers to carry Preston’s spirit into their daily work.

"Let’s be more Areanah-like," Snelling said. "Not allowing the person to walk by you without saying good morning. Because life is too short to walk around thinking negative."

Preston’s mother, Dionne Moon, has spoken to the district every year since her daughter’s death. On Tuesday, she told the crowd she has counted every day since her daughter's death.

"1,095 days without one-third of my heart," Moon said. "1,095 days of endless fighting to search for something to anchor this heavy grief."

With Mother’s Day six days away, Moon said the holiday remains one of the hardest reminders of what she lost.

"I pray each and every day that another mother never has to stand where I am standing," she said.

Moon founded the Peace for Preston Foundation in her daughter’s memory. The organization works with young people across Chicago and recently hosted an event where Superintendent Snelling spoke directly to young people about violence prevention.

What's next:

The Peace for Preston Foundation is hosting a fundraiser on June 7 at the Black Fire Brigade, on what would have been Preston’s birthday, to raise money toward a permanent home for its youth programs. Tickets are available through the Fifth District.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​