Hundreds pay tribute to slain CPD Officer Enrique Martinez. 'He was a beautiful person'
Hundreds of mourners streamed into Blake-Lamb Funeral Home on Sunday in suburban Oak Lawn to pay their respects to slain Chicago Police Officer Enrique Martinez.
The visitation service drew law enforcement officials from across the country, including officers from Fort Worth, Texas; New York City; and Minneapolis. A massive American flag hung from the ladder of a Chicago Fire Department truck in front of the funeral home.
Maria Marmolejo, chairwoman of CPD Gold Star Families, said she spoke with Martinez's family during the service, and they want people to remember that the 26-year-old was more than just a police officer.
"He had a whole life to live, and it was cut very short," Marmolejo told reporters outside the funeral home. "There are things that we really need to remember and honor. He was a human being, he was a great person, he was fun, he was a great gift-giver, he was a beautiful person. Let's remember him that way."
Marmolejo knows what the family is going through. She is the widow of CPD Officer Eduardo Marmolejo , who was killed in 2018.
Brenda Valadez, whose brother, CPD Officer Alejandro Valadez, was killed in 2009, said it's important to show the family support because they will never be the same.
"When we went through a terrible time we didn't want anyone else to go through the same thing," Valadez said in Spanish. "To know that the family is destroyed, their lives will never be what they were, is the hardest part. This keeps happening, and we hope there's a time when we don't have to be standing out here going through this again."
Martinez was shot to death Nov. 4 during a traffic stop in Chatham. He was a month shy of completing three years as a police officer.
Darion McMillian, 23, of Harvey, appeared in court earlier this month on charges of first-degree murder in the shooting that also killed his friend in the 8000 block of South Ingleside Avenue. McMillian used a handgun equipped with an extended magazine and modified with a switch to fire automatically, police and prosecutors said.
John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, lamented that a young officer with a bright future was killed while trying to do his job.
"Yet another young officer lost far too soon who was trying to do right by this city and its citizens," Catanzara said. "Unfortunately, he paid for it with his life."
Eugene Roy, a former CPD chief of detectives, said it's also important to remember Martinez's fellow officers who were with him the night he was killed. They will carry that trauma for the rest of their lives but will still be out on the streets doing their job, he said.
"These officers watched their friend, their colleague die in front of them. They're scarred for life." Roy said. "They're gonna carry that with them for the rest of their life ,but you know something, they're going to be back out there the next day protecting you and protecting me."
