Trial begins for man accused of killing Chicago Police Officer Andrés Vásquez Lasso

Murder trial in 2023 shooting of Chicago police officer begins

The trial of the man accused of fatally shooting Chicago Police Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso began Tuesday with emotional testimony.

CHICAGO - The trial of the man accused of fatally shooting Chicago Police Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso began Tuesday with emotional testimony.

One of the attorneys said everyone is reeling from the tragedy.

The first witness was the wife of Vasquez Lasso, Milena Estepa, who tearfully testified about how she learned her husband was killed in the line of duty.

Supporters and fellow police officers arrived at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse to lend strength to the officer’s family. Vasquez Lasso was 32 years old and had been with the department for nearly five years.

The accused shooter is 21-year-old Steven Montano.

On March 1, 2023, police were called to a domestic disturbance for a report of a man threatening a woman with a gun. Police say Montano was armed when he ran from his apartment in Gage Park to a schoolyard where children were playing. Officer Vasquez Lasso ordered him to stop. Both opened fire. Vasquez Lasso was shot five times.

Children hid behind playground equipment during the gunfire.

Outside the courthouse, Teamsters Union officers offered support for the fallen officer’s family and colleagues.

The defendant’s attorney said Montano was 18 at the time of the shooting. He was cornered, scared and running away to de-escalate the situation. They said he was in a relationship with a 37-year-old woman who psychologically controlled and isolated him. He is expected to testify in his own defense.

Vásquez Lasso was remembered by colleagues as a dedicated officer who embodied the American dream. Born in Colombia, he moved to the U.S. at age 18, learned English, and put himself through school before joining the force.

Fatal shooting of Officer Andres Vasquez-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"

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.