The mayor of Chicago did not attend the funeral of fallen police officer Luis Huesca, 30, who was killed while off-duty last month. Reports indicate that the family of the deceased had expressed that the mayor was not welcome at the funeral.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was initially scheduled to attend the funeral but later updated his schedule to show that he would not be present at the event. Family members of Officer Huesca reportedly informed the mayor's office that he was not welcome at the funeral, with Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza confirming that the family had requested the mayor not attend.
No explicit reason was provided for the family's decision to exclude the mayor from the funeral, but local reports suggest tensions between the police department and the mayor's office over crime policies may have played a role.
Officer Huesca was shot multiple times while responding to a gunshot alert on April 21. He was off-duty and had encountered a wounded officer who had been carjacked on the city's Southwest Side. Despite being rushed to a nearby hospital, Huesca was pronounced dead.
Mayor Johnson expressed his condolences to the family in a written statement, vowing to continue supporting the police and first responders while working towards a safer Chicago. The funeral, held at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel, was attended by police, firefighters, and other mourners honoring the fallen officer.
The suspect, a 22-year-old individual involved in the shooting, remains at large and has not been publicly identified by authorities.
