Prosecutors detail events leading up to fatal shooting of Chicago police officer
CHICAGO (CBS) – The 18-year-old suspect who is facing charges related to the shooting death of Chicago police officer Andres Mauricio Vasquez Lasso was ordered held without bail on Friday.
Steven Montano did not appear in court when prosecutors laid out the series of events which led to the fatal encounter with Vasquez Lasso. Montano is still in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Stroger Hospital of Cook County after being shot during the encounter with Vasquez Lasso.
Montano is facing multiple charges including first-degree murder, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, interference with reporting domestic violence and assault.
Prosecutors allege that Montano and a 37-year-old woman with whom he was in a dating relationship and living with in the 5200 block of South Spaulding Avenue, began arguing. During the argument, Montano allegedly "charged with his hands outstretched at his girlfriend who stepped out of the way to avoid being struck," prosecutors said.
Montano then threatened to get his gun. His girlfriend exited the home through a side door on 53rd Street, called 911 and reported that Montano had a gun. As she spoke to a dispatcher, Montano followed her. He also allegedly grabbed the phone from his girlfriend's hand, hung up on 911 and threw the phone. They continued to argue and went back inside the home.
The woman told CBS 2 she maintains she did not call 911, nor was she threatened.
It was shortly after that Chicago police arrived. Two officers approached the front door of the residence and "heard noise" in the gangway.
Prosecutors said Montano jumped out of a window of the residence, into the gangway and fled back towards the alley. An officer saw an object in Montano's hands, believing it was a gun.
Montano encountered two neighbors in the alley and asked them if he could hide the gun in the garage the neighbors were standing in. When the neighbors indicated he couldn't, Montano entered the garage they were in and fled into a backyard of a connected residence. As he made his way through other neighboring yards, the first two officers made their way into the alley, saw Montano and alerted other officers to his location.
As Montano continued to flee north along Spaulding Avenue past Sawyer Elementary school, Vasquez-Lasso responded to the scene and saw the suspect. Vasquez Lasso got out of his squad car, chased Montano through a gate and entered the school yard area of the Sawyer Elementary.
Vasquez Lasso ordered Montano to stop multiple times, prosecutors said. At one point, Montano looked back over his shoulder at the officer. He turned toward Vasquez Lasso while racking the slide on his pistol and pointed the gun at him.
Both Vasquez Lasso and Montano fired at each other. Montano fired five times and Vasquez Lasso was hit three times in the head, arm and leg. Vasquez Lasso fired twice, hitting Montano in the mouth. Prosecutors did not specify who shot first.
At the time of the shooting, there were people, including multiple children, on the playground who took cover under a slide.
The shooting was captured on Vasquez Lasso's body-worn camera. Vasquez Lasso collapsed immediately after being shot. Montano stumbled a few feet away into the nearby school parking lot before falling to the ground.
Vasquez Lasso's partner exited the squad car and approached Montano who still tried to walk away despite being shot. Police tased and handcuffed Montano. They recovered the .45 caliber handgun they said was used to shoot Vasquez Lasso.
Other officers began life-saving measures on Vasquez Lasso. He was eventually taken in an ambulance to Mt. Sinai Hospital where he was ultimately pronounced dead.
Montano had previously been arrested last summer after running from a stolen car police suspected was linked to an earlier shooting in the Little Village neighborhood. He was also arrested on felony aggravated battery charges. However, the arrest report states Cook County prosecutors declined to press that aggravated battery charge, and instead only charged the man with misdemeanor obstructing/resisting a police officer.
Montano is next due back in court on March 22.
