Hundreds of law enforcement officers stood at attention on the north lawn of St. Rita of Cascia church Monday morning, rain sprinkling down on them, as pallbearers carried the casket of slain Chicago Police officer Enrique Martinez inside the church.
Martinez, 26, was fatally shot on Nov. 4 while he and other officers responded to a call in the Chatham neighborhood.
It was the second time this year that scores of Chicago Police Department officers, department leaders, suburban officers and law enforcement officials from across the country flocked to St. Rita to remember the life of a young officer.
As the service began, CPD Chaplain Fr. Dan Brandt told mourners that, in recent days, he’d visited with Martinez’s fellow officers in the Gresham District (6th) to learn more about him. Time and again, Brandt said, Martinez was described as selfless, thoughtful, kind and generous.
“He was a very proud American, a true patriot, an unwavering servant,” Brandt said. “Today, as we reflect on these attributes, these adjectives, we can learn a lesson from Enrique and hopefully follow his fine example. Some of you have 30 years on the job or more. He had three, but what a fine, fine example.”
Martinez was fatally shot around 8 p.m. on Nov. 4 after he and other officers approached a car in the 8000 block of South Ingleside in the Chatham neighborhood.
Prosecutors later charged 23-year-old Darion C. McMillian, of Harvey, with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Martinez and another man, also in the car with McMillian, who was also killed by the burst of gunfire.
McMillian, who allegedly used a gun outfitted with an automatic “switch,” was ordered detained pending trial.
The Southwest Side high school has long voiced support for the city’s first responders, and much of the school’s student body come from CPD and CFD families in Mount Greenwood and Beverly.
Among those in attendance were former Mayor Richard M. Daley and deputy mayor for public safety Garien Gatewood, along with aldermen Marty Quinn, Anthony Napolitano, Matt O’Shea, Anthony Beale, Peter Chico, Jason Ervin and former mayoral candidate Paul Vallas.
Over the weekend, Mayor Brandon Johnson walked back plans to attend the services after pushback from Martinez’s family.
‘Far too frequent’: At wake for slain CPD Officer Enrique Martinez, peers decry killing
