Man Accused Of Murdering Off Duty Chicago Police Officer Denied Release Ahead Of Trial

On Friday, a judge in Chicago denied release for a man charged with murdering an off-duty police officer in April. 

22-year-old Xavier Tate Jr. has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated vehicular hijacking, and possession of a stolen firearm in connection to the April 21 killing of Officer Luis Huesca.

On April 21, Huesca was shot 10 times shortly before 3 a.m. on the southwest side of the city while driving home from work. He was in uniform, but was wearing other clothing over it to cover his affiliation with the police, standard for off-duty officers, according to Police Superintendent Larry Snelling. 

Video evidence suggested that Tate Jr. was responsible for the killing of Huesca, after Investigators collected evidence from 90 locations following the killing, Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti said on Friday.

Footage from the area led detectives to a business where Tate purchased a bottle of water using a bank card belonging to a family member. When Huesca’s stolen vehicle was found, that water bottle, along with clothing that Tate was allegedly wearing at the time of the shooting, were found in it.

Tate was arrested on Wednesday evening by Chicago Police and the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, after an arrest warrant was put out for him last week.

“The vile nature of this crime and its devastating impact on our family and the community demand uncompromising pursuit of justice,” Huesca’s family said. “While no measure of justice can bring Officer Huesca back or fully heal our hearts, we take solace in his enduring legacy of service and bravery.”

This comes less than a month after the murder of Officer Jonathan Diller, a New York Police Officer who was fatally shot during a routine traffic stop. He was struck below his bulletproof vest, and later pronounced dead in the hospital. 

The suspect was a 34-year-old individual with a history of 21 prior arrests, including serious offenses like first-degree assault and criminal possession of a controlled substance, and shot Diller from the passenger seat of the vehicle that he had pulled over.

Former President Donald Trump made an appearance at Diller’s funeral, saying “What happened is such a sad, sad event. Such a horrible thing, and it’s happening all too often and we’re just not going to let it happen, we just can’t,” Trump said at the funeral.

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, faced backlash after he skipped Diller’s funeral, opting instead to attend a ritzy fundraiser along with former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

This has become a severe issue facing the United States in the leadup to the 2024 election. The release of repeat offenders has occurred numerous times under the current administration, and has become a major talking point for GOP nominees across the nation. Trump has received significant support from police unions nationwide as the wave of violence against police continues unabated.

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