Editor's Note: On May 3, Investigators offered some of the most in-depth details behind their investigation into the murder of Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca, revealing how they identified and ultimately arrested a suspect in the killing following a days-long manhunt. Our updated story can be found here. Our original story continues below.
More details are emerging after the man accused of shooting and killing Chicago police officer Luis Huesca was found and arrested by police Wednesday in an apartment complex in the Western suburbs.
According to police, Xavier Tate Jr. was taken into custody without incident Wednesday evening at the Ellyn Crossing apartments in suburban Glendale Heights. Authorities say the U.S. Marshalls Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force helped capture Tate, who was considered armed and dangerous.
”Xavier L. Tate Jr. was taken into custody by members of the Chicago Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force this evening in Glendale Heights for the murder of CPD Officer Luis Huesca,” the statement read. “We thank all of our law enforcement partners who assisted in the apprehension of this suspect as we work to bring justice to Officer Huesca and his family."
Two law enforcement sources told NBC Chicago that Tate Jr. had been hiding in an apartment unit in the complex, underneath the kitchen sink.
According to sources, Tate Jr. said "please don't hurt me," when officers found him.
Local
Law enforcement sources also told NBC Chicago that Tate Jr., 22, was taken into custody using the fallen officer's handcuffs. He was scheduled to appear in bond court at 11:30 a.m. Thursday but the Cook County State's Attorney's office later told NBC Chicago the case "will not be in court today."
The arrest comes after a 10-day manhunt in search of Tate Jr., who is accused of using a 40-caliber handgun to fatally shoot Huesca, who was found with gunshot wounds to the face on April 21 near his Gage Park home. His Toyota SUV was said to be stolen but was later recovered, a police report said. The report indicated officers were investigating the incident as a potential carjacking.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly> Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Huesca was rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center and was later pronounced dead from his injuries. A 6-year veteran of the force, Huesca had just gotten off a shift and was heading home in uniform when the shooting occurred.
Court records show Tate Jr. was due in court earlier last week on an unrelated matter but did not appear. On April 22, one day following the deadly shooting, authorities released still images and video of a person of interest.
In an update last week, Chicago police identified Tate as the individual in the previously-released footage.
Previously, Caschous Tate, a reported associate of Xavier Tate's, had been taken into custody in connection with the case. According to prosecutors, members of the Great Lakes Regional Task Force and the Chicago Police Department's Investigative Response Team went to a house near 108th and South Hale in Chicago's Morgan Park neighborhood to talk to a woman about the murder.
Caschous, they said, answered the door and told officers to wait because his girlfriend was naked in a back room.
Another officer then observed him exit a back window and use a lawn chair to toss an item over the fence. The item was Huesca's gun, which prosecutors said had all but two digits of its serial number scratched off.
Near the lawn chair, prosecutors said, they found the magazine.
The FBI had listed Tate, Jr. on its most wanted list and released a poster describing him and noting a tattoo on the right side of his neck of the word "majesty" under a crown and additional tattoos on his chest and body.
The Fraternal Order of Police and a number of other organizations offered a $100,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest and conviction.
Officers honor Luis Huesca at Chicago Funeral
The arrest comes two days after law enforcement personnel packed the seats at St. Rita Cascia Shrine Chapel in the city's Beverly View neighborhood to honor Huesca.
One by one, family, friends and colleagues shared emotional stories at the funeral of the slain officer, each revealing a beautiful tribute to the man they knew -- the man he was both with and without his badge.
"When I first heard the tragic news, I really struggled to find sufficient words to describe [Luis] to those who didn't have the privilege of meeting him. But I kept returning to the phrase 'give the shirt off his back.' Because that's exactly what Luis was. He was the kind of man who would go out of his way to help others no matter what," said his friend Karim Ismat.
In the middle of the long list of speakers who offered their tributes was Officer Lucia Chavez, who was a close friend and classmate to both Huesca and another fallen officer, Andrés Vásquez-Lasso, who was killed just 13 months earlier while responding to a domestic disturbance call.
"I lost Andrés and now Luis," Chavez said. "I lost my two classmates, my best friends, my brothers. The violence in this city took them away from me, from us."
Notably absent from the crowd were Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Johnson released a statement Monday morning as he updated his public schedule to remove the funeral from his itinerary.
"We continue to send our deepest condolences to the family and colleagues of Officer Luis Huesca as they heal from the loss of their beloved son, nephew, brother and friend," Johnson said in a statement. "As mayor, I vow to continue supporting our police and first responders, uniting our city and remaining committed to working with everyone towards building a better, stronger, safer Chicago. My heart is with the Huesca family today. God bless them and God bless the City of Chicago."
The last-minute change came after multiple sources told NBC Chicago Huesca's family asked Johnson not to come.
Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza said she and another state official were asked by Huesca's "grief stricken mother" to tell Johnson "he was unwelcome at her son's funeral."
Some at the funeral noted the lack of justice in Huesca's killing has prevented them from closure, though they remained confident that an arrest would be made.
In the end, it was Huesca's character that took center stage.
"Luis, your nickname should be Lionheart. You're an exceptional person with courage, bravery, community, humility and pride in your work," Huesca Jr. said, reciting a letter he wrote to his late brother. "And you have dedication for those you touch, rest in peace, my brother, and I love you."
