Chicago police arrest suspect in murder of off-duty officer heading home from work

 

 

A man wanted in connection with the murder of an off-duty Chicago police officer last month has been taken into custody, according to Chicago police.

The department said its officers and the U.S. Marashals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested 22-year-old Xavier Tate Jr. for first-degree murder in Glendale Heights, Illinois, on Wednesday night.

Tate's arrest comes five days after he was identified as the suspect in the killing of 30-year-old Chicago police officer Luis Huesca.

Huesca was shot and killed in the early morning hours of April 21 in the Gage Park area as he was on his way home from work. He was still in his uniform, but was wearing other clothing on top, Chicago police superintendent Larry Snelling said.

He was shot nearly 20 times with a firearm modified into an automatic weapon, FOX 32 Chicago previously reported.

Huesca’s vehicle was stolen during the incident and found nearby a short while later. His service weapon and badge were not found at the scene, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.

When Chicago police identified Tate as a suspect on April 26, video footage was released of him inside convenience stores and outside on a sidewalk.

Tate was previously arrested for criminal trespass to a residence on March 6 in Olympia Fields, FOX 32 reported, citing court documents. He was supposed to appear in court for that case last Wednesday.

Crime Stoppers, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, the FBI and the Fraternal Order of Police were offering a combined $100,000 reward for information leading to Tate's arrest.

Huesca, who was killed two days before his 31st birthday, served with the Chicago Police Department for six years.