By Angela Rozas, Lauren R. Harrison and Christopher Latham
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO — Police work wasn’t just a job for Officer Alejandro “Alex” Valadez. It was a family calling.
Valadez was one of three siblings to join the Chicago Police Department, and in just three short years, he had established himself as a go-to police officer in the tough Englewood District, unafraid of challenging assignments or long hours.
But early Monday, Valadez, 27, was fatally shot, the first Chicago police officer killed in 2009 in the line of duty.
Police sources said detectives were questioning at least one suspect Monday evening, but no charges had been filed. Supt. Jody Weis said there was progress in the case but declined to be more specific.
On Monday, just after midnight, Valadez and his partner responded to a call of shots fired in the 6000 block of South Hermitage Avenue, authorities said. Two rival gangs were shooting at each other, one of the sources said, but when Valadez and his partner arrived, the gunfire had ceased.
They got out of their vehicle to search a nearby lot for weapons and to interview an individual walking nearby, the source said. Then a car pulled up with alleged gang members inside. Someone fired at the officers, who were in plainclothes, striking Valadez in the head and leg, the source said.
For the next 14 hours, Valadez fought for his life as family, friends, and police officers gathered at his side. They cried and embraced outside Stroger Hospital as word of his critical condition spread. At 2:40 p.m., Valadez succumbed to his wounds and was pronounced dead.
“He was on a team working on special missions, and today he’s not with us anymore,” Weis said outside the hospital following the death. “That’s going to have a devastating effect upon everybody that knew him, everybody in the Chicago Police Department, and it should have a devastating effect upon all ... citizens of the city of Chicago.”
Valadez’s brother and sister are also police officers, and his girlfriend worked in his district, police said.
Sources said investigators found the vehicle believed to be used in the homicide blocks away with spent shell casings inside that appeared to come from a .40-caliber gun, believed to be used in the shooting.
Valadez joined the department in December 2005 and earned a department commendation and 22 honorable mentions, police said. He was assigned to the “06" car, responding mostly to citizen complaints of narcotics or robberies. It was a special assignment for aggressive but talented new officers, seen as a steppingstone to tactical assignments or detective.
He and his partner never let up on assignments and stayed hours after their midnight shift to finish the job, said Englewood Cmdr. Keith Calloway.
Calloway recalled seeing Valadez a few weeks ago at 10 a.m., three hours after his shift had ended, as he worked on paperwork to get a suspected carjacker charged. “These guys never really got tired,” Calloway said.
“They’d run from hot car to hot car. Just hardworking and dedicated.”
Valadez had an outgoing personality and was warm and well-liked, he said.
Valadez is the third Chicago police officer killed in the line of duty since last summer. Nathaniel Taylor, 39, was shot and killed in September while trying to execute a search warrant. Richard Francis, 60, was fatally shot in July in a struggle with a woman who was causing a disruption on a bus.
Copyright 2009 Chicago Tribune