Chicago Mayor Pulls Out of Fallen Officer’s Funeral – Here’s Why

CHICAGO – Mayor Brandon Johnson was notably absent Monday from the funeral of fallen Chicago police officer Luis Huesca after pledging to attend.

Huesca, who was shot and killed in Gage Park on April 21 while walking home from work, was two days shy of his 31st birthday and had been with the department for six years.

Johnson told media Sunday evening that he would be serving Huesca at St. Rita Catholic Chapel at the Cascia Shrine, but abruptly canceled his plans Monday morning after Huesca’s family reportedly asked him to stay away.

State Comptroller Susana Mendoza, whose brother is in the police force, tweeted “last night while visiting Ofc. Huesca, her distressed mother asked Rep. Angelica Guerrero Cuellar and me to tell the Mayor of Chicago that he was not welcome at his son’s funeral. We both called him before 10 p.m. to ask him to honor his wishes.

The mayor sent an updated statement Monday morning saying he would not be there.

“We continue to extend our deepest condolences to the family and colleagues of Officer Luis Huesca as they recover from the loss of their beloved son, nephew, brother and friend,” Johnson said. “As Mayor, I am committed to continuing to support our police and first responders, uniting our city and remaining committed to working with everyone to build a better, stronger and safer Chicago.”

“My heart is with the Huesca family today. God bless them and God bless the city of Chicago.”

Mendoza responded to Johnson’s statement, saying she was “comforted to learn that (Johnson) respected the wishes of the Huesca family.”

This is the first time in recent memory that a serving mayor has been asked not to attend the funeral of a deceased soldier.

Many police officers turned their backs on former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot when she visited Ella French’s partner Carlos Yanez in the hospital in 2021. But Lightfoot still attended the funeral of French.