Andres Vasquez-Lasso was a 32-year-old Chicago police officer, a five-year department veteran originally from Cali, Colombia who lived and worked in the 8th Police District. He and his partner responded to a domestic disturbance on the afternoon of March 1, 2023, in Gage Park after reports of a man chasing a woman with a gun on the 5200 block of South Spaulding Avenue.

When the suspect, identified as 18-year-old Steven Montano, fled on foot, Vasquez-Lasso pursued him across the street and onto the grounds of Sawyer Elementary School, where children were on the playground. As Vasquez-Lasso gave verbal commands, Montano turned and fired at close range. Vasquez-Lasso was struck multiple times, returned fire, and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he died; the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide from multiple gunshot wounds. Witnesses reported children running and hiding during the shooting.

Montano was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder and related weapons and assault counts; he pleaded not guilty in April 2023. The officer is remembered by colleagues and city officials as having a bright future. Did anyone in the area see or hear anything that afternoon that might help clarify the sequence of events near the school?