Honorary street name commemorates fallen CPD Officer Enrique Martinez
A street in Chicago's West Lawn neighborhood has acquired an honorary name in memory of fallen Chicago police Officer Enrique Martinez.
Martinez, 26, was shot and killed during a traffic stop near 80th Street and Ingleside Avenue in the East Chatham neighborhood on Nov. 4, 2024.
He had been on the job for nearly three years when he and his partner stopped a vehicle with three people inside after the car had been blocking traffic.
Police said when Martinez and his partner approached the car and began speaking with the driver, a man in the back seat reached for a bag on the floor. The officers told the man to stop reaching, but he pulled out a handgun with machine gun conversion device and an extended magazine, and started shooting, killing Martinez, as well as the man driving the car.
Martinez was engaged to be married at the time.
On Sunday, a new sign proclaiming Enrique Martinez Avenue was unveiled on Komensky Avenue just south of 63rd Street, in the neighborhood where Officer Martinez grew up.
Martinez's family, the Chicago Police Department, and public officials participated in a roll call as a way to thank police for their work.