Thousands of mourners gathered Saturday, some listening on loudspeakers outside a Chicago church, for the funeral of a Chicago police officer shot to death while investigating reports of gunfire.
Thousands of mourners gathered Saturday, some listening on loudspeakers outside a Chicago church, for the funeral of a Chicago police officer shot to death while investigating reports of gunfire. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, Mayor Richard Daley and Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis all attended the funeral at St. Bede the Venerable Church for 27-year-old officer Alejandro "Alex" Valadez. The funeral followed a visitation on Friday attended by hundreds in suburban Oak Lawn. Many officers said they didn’t know Valadez but still feel as if he were family. "Those citizens that he helped, and all the commendations and honorable mentions are saying today, are saying thank you, and God bless you," Daley said Saturday. Quinn called it "a profoundly sad day," and Weis described Valadez as "one of the good guys." Valadez’s partner, Officer Thomas Vargas, during the eulogy called Valadez "a gentle giant." "You never stopped fighting," Vargas said. "All the way from the street, to the hospital, you never stopped fighting." Two men face charges in Valadez’s death. Shawn Gaston, 20, and Kevin Walker, 21, each are charged with first-degree murder, first-degree murder of a peace officer and attempted first-degree murder Valadez, a three-year veteran who worked in the department’s 7th District, was interviewing a citizen about gunfire with his partner early Monday when a vehicle driven by Walker pulled up, police said. Gaston, a passenger, allegedly fired the shots that killed Valadez. Valadez was struck in the head and the leg, and later died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County. Gaston and Walker were arrested about an hour after the shooting. They were also responsible for the original gunfire Valadez was investigating, officials said. Valadez is the third Chicago police officer to die on duty in the past year. ______ Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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