Two men were arrested in the killing of Chicago Police Officer Alejandro Valadez early Monday in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side.
Supt. Jody Weis releases the first information about a 27-year-old officer shot in the head while on duty in the Englewood neighborhood.
The men -- aged 20 and 21 -- were arrested early Monday shortly after the fatal shooting of a 27-year-old Chicago police officer.
The men are being held as "persons of interest" in the shooting, with police saying that they were occupants of a blue 2007 Pontiac G6 -- a four-door sedan -- that was positively identified as being the vehicle used in the shooting of Chicago police Officer Alejandro Valadez, according to a police report.
The men remained in custody early Tuesday, but no charges have been filed.
Valadez and his partner were responding to a call of gunfire about 12:30 a.m. Monday in the 6000 block of South Hermitage, when someone inside a vehicle fired gunshots at the officer.
Valadez was pronounced dead at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County on Monday afternoon, several hours after being critically wounded by a gunshot to the head.
Valadez joined the Chicago Police Department in December 2005 and was most recently assigned to the Englewood (7th) District. He had earned a Department Commendation and 22 Honorable Mentions during his three-year career, according to a release from police.
Valadez is from a "police family," with his brother, sister and fiancée also on the police force. He and his fiancée were expecting a baby boy in September.
He is the third officer killed in the line of duty in the past 12 months, according to Chicago Breaking News.
Officer Nathaniel Taylor, 39, a 14-year veteran, was shot and killed in September while trying to execute a search warrant against a suspected narcotics dealer. Officer Richard Francis, 60, was fatally shot in July during a struggle with a woman causing a disruption on a bus.
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May justice come swiftly. Rest in peace Alex
