SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — On the grounds of the Ilinois Capitol, a day of honor and remembrance was held Thursday for fallen police officers.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker led a state delegation to honor Chicago police officer Andres Vasques Lasso, who was killed while chasing an armed suspect, and Aréanah Preston, who was killed during a robbery as she was returning home from work.
“We join together today to pay homage to the police officers we lost last year,” Pritzker said. “Each year at this sacred memorial, we pay tribute as we remember all of the extraordinary acts of selflessness that were carried out each and every day.”
Elizabeth French, mother of slain CPD officer Ella French, was the ceremony’s keynote speaker.
“When she was taken from me, my life changed forever,” Elizabeth French said. “Since Ella’s death, I have learned a few lessons. The first lesson I learned is only two words, and it’s that grief sucks; another lesson … was that loss was not the worst feeling in the world. Missing her every day for the rest of my life is much, much worse than that.”
Officers Vasques Lasso and Preston’s names will now be added to the thousands of others on the fallen police memorial statue on the west lawn of the State Capitol.