Suspect apprehended in murder of Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The man wanted in the shooting that killed Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca was arrested Wednesday night.
Xavier Tate Jr., 22, was charged in an arrest warrant signed by a Cook County judge with first-degree murder on April 26.
Chicago Police announced Wednesday evening that Tate was taken into custody by members of the CPD and the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Task Force Wednesday evening in west suburban Glendale Heights.
A source said Tate was pulled out of a second-floor apartment in a complex in Glendale Heights and was arrested with Officer Huesca's handcuffs as a symbolic gesture.
CBS 2 has obtained a photo and video of the arrest. In each, Tate was seen being led from the apartment complex in handcuffs with his head down.
Sources said a relative of Tate's – believed to be his brother – lives in the Glendale Heights apartment complex. It was not clear how and when police figured out Tate was hiding out there.
Residents of the apartment complex were caught off guard that the wanted man was found near them.
"It's honestly crazy to think the whole time, he's been hiding out here. It's insane because you wouldn't have guessed in a place like this - filled with families, and you know, everyone here is friendly - you wouldn't think that someone like that is right across the street from you," said neighbor Yusuli Hernandez. "So it's really scary."
Another neighbor told CBS 2 that he lives right across the hall from where Tate was found. He said Tate was known in the apartment complex, which he had frequented for several months.
But in the last two weeks, the neighbor said, Tate was nowhere to be found.
It remained unknown Wednesday night how long Tate had been in the apartment complex, what brought him there, and whether he had been there the whole time since the murder.
In court documents issued when the warrant against Tate was signed last week, investigators wrote that Tate knowingly and intentionally fired a .40 caliber handgun, striking Huesca and causing his death.
Huesca, a six-year veteran who worked with the Area 2 Priority Response Team, was shot and killed returning home from his shift while still in uniform on Sunday, April 21 in the 5500 block of South Kedzie Avenue. Police were first called to the scene by a ShotSpotter alert.
Huesca was two days away from his 31st birthday at the time.
Investigators found his car first and said they recovered his gun Friday at a South Side home near 108th and Hale. Investigators were there when a relative of Tate's was seen throwing a firearm over a fence into a yard before being taken into custody, CBS 2 is told.
The relative, Caschaus Tate, 20, is facing multiple charges, including one for an unrelated burglary in Richton Park and one for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in Chicago.
Huesca's funeral was held on Monday. Crowds of hundreds cheered his memory and paid their final respects.
Huesca was described as a rock for his friends – brilliant, caring, and larger than life. He received full honors from the Chicago Police Department, as his death has been ruled to be in the line of duty.
"We ask that the people of this city continue to support the Huesca family by keeping them in your prayers as they continue to mourn the loss of a beloved son, brother, and uncle," Chicago Police said in a statement Wednesday night.
Late Wednesday night, Chicago Police detectives still had a strong presence at the Glendale Heights complex as they collected evidence. They were expected to remain for the majority of the night and possibly well into the morning.
