They got to know each other well before becoming sworn Chicago police officers.
Lucia Chavez became close with Andrés Vásquez-Lasso and Luis Huesca during their time in the Chicago Police Department's Recruit Academy.
Huesca was the smart one - the analyst. Vásquez-Lasso, meanwhile, was the handsome one. He always wanted to look good, his best friend explained.
And Chavez, she said, was the one who didn't speak English really well.
"The best moments I had with them at the academy were during lunch," the officer shared. "Our endless conversations about our goals and our plans as police officers."
Chavez delivered a heartfelt speech at Huesca's funeral on Monday, paying tribute to the person she knew but also giving others a glimpse into the person who she said had a humble heart.
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"Luis was a really, really good friend," Chavez said. "The friend that was going to be with you in a rough situation. He was a young man that was always sharing his enthusiasm, but at the same time he had a humble heart."
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Huesca was still in uniform and had just gotten off a shift when he was fatally shot on April 21 near his Gage Park home. Just over a year earlier, Vásquez Lasso was shot and killed while responding to a domestic incident in the same Southwest Side neighborhood.
As she paid tribute to her best friends, Chavez touched on a comment once made by an instructor at the police academy. It was something she didn't understand - until recently.
"I remember pretty good that during our training, the instructor said this uniform made us family," she explained. "When one fell, we all fall. I didn't understand that. Now I do."
As she comes to grips with a world without her two best friends, Chavez voiced frustration about Chicago's violence, which she blamed for claiming their lives.
I lost my two classmates, my best friends, my brothers. This violence in this city took them away from me, from us.
Chicago Police Officer Lucia Chavez
"I lost Andrés first and now Luis," she said. "I lost my two classmates, my best friends, my brothers. This violence in this city took them away from me, from us."
Chavez reminded mourners at Huesca's funeral about the sacrifices officers make day in and day out and the uncertainty experienced before departing for each shift.
"We have family, brothers, children, friends. Every day we leave our houses without knowing if we're going to come back," she stated. "It is our duty to take care of others."
Calling for the community to stand against violence, Chavez shared a reminder as she pushed for peace -- that a police uniform is not a symbol of "us versus them."
"Finally, I want to invite all of our community to pray for Luis' family and for all of the city," she stated. "This shouldn't happen again."
