Gang member arrested in shooting of Cicero Police Officer Saturday
Second non-random assault still under investigation
Cicero, IL — A 19-year-old known street gang member has been arrested and charged in the shooting and injuring of a Cicero Police Officer in the early morning hours of Saturday, December 7.
Suspect Giovanni A. Saldivar, 19, has been charged with two counts of Attempted Murder of a Police Officer, Aggravated Battery- Use of a Firearm, and Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm in shooting a Cicero Police Officer who suffered serious injuries.
The Cicero Police Officer was released from Loyola Hospital on Sunday afternoon in good condition and escorted home by a contingent of Cicero Police and over 20 outside police agencies from the region.
“We will not tolerate these kinds of crimes in Cicero and they will be investigated quickly and efficiently with the safety of our residents our number one priority,” said Town President Larry Dominick.
“Our police investigated this shooting professionally and efficiently to ensure the public was not placed in danger and to apprehend the suspect responsible for the shooting. We have the best police in the region and they have been on top of this investigating the incident to fully protect our residents.”
President Dominick said he is most grateful that the Cicero Officer is in good spirits and wishes him a speedy recovery.
Ironically, President Dominick had issued a statement the previous week urging the Illinois Legislature to adopt tougher punishments for suspects convicted of injuring or killing a police officer with a gun.
President Dominick has urged mandatory sentences of 20 years without any form of parole for individuals convicted of injuring a police officer, and the reinstatement of the death penalty for suspects convicted in the killing of police officers.
In 2023 and 2024, four Chicago Police Officers were killed in the line of duty: Officer Andrés Vásquez Lasso, 32, was fatally shot while responding to a domestic disturbance in the Gage Park neighborhood; Officer Aréanah Prestonwas, 24, shot and killed on May 6, 2023, outside her home in uniform after finishing her shift when confronted by armed robbers; Officer Luis M. Huesca, 30, was ambushed and fatally shot and killed while returning home from work in his driveway; and, Officer Enrique Martinez, 26, was killed during a traffic stop on Chicago’s South Side.
While social media has been inundated with all kinds of misleading and distorted information about this incident, Cicero Police conducted a professional investigation with the help of the West Suburban Major Crimes Task Force and assistance from the office of Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke.
Cicero Police do not release details of crimes that are under active investigation until the suspects are apprehended.
The shooting occurred on December 7 at approximately 12:45 AM, as Cicero Tactical Officers were on patrol when they observed a vehicle that was double-parked at 35th Street and 61st Court.
Officers advised the driver to move their vehicle and began to drive away, when Saldivar, who was speaking to an occupant of the double-parked vehicle, began to fire upon the officers.
The Cicero officer was struck in the back and transported to Loyola Hospital. The second officer was unharmed.
Officers requested assistance and provided information regarding the shooting, and responding Cicero Police Officers were quickly able to apprehend the suspect, who fled into a nearby bar.
After a thorough investigation by Cicero Detectives, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and approved charges against Saldivar. Saldivar was brought today for a detention hearing before Judge Ciaccia, who ruled that he be detained awaiting trial.
“We want to express our gratitude to the West Suburban Major Crimes Task Force, the Cook County States Attorneys Office and all of the surrounding agencies for their support in this investigation and quickly bringing the shooter into custody,” Cicero Police Chief Thomas Boyle said.
“I especially want to thank the Patrol, Special Operations, and Detective Divisions of the Department who worked in a coordinated effort to arrest the suspect and collect the evidence that led to an against Saldivar.”
Members of the public are reminded that these complaints contain only charges and are not proof of the defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
SECOND INCIDENT
Suspects hunted in second incident Sunday in killing of Chicago resident at Cicero and Roosevelt intersection
In an incident Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, two masked offenders targeted, shot and killed a Chicago man, Justin Washington, 30, who was a passenger in a vehicle during a confrontation on Roosevelt Road and Cicero Avenue.
Cicero Police believe the shooting “was not random” and that Washington was targeted by two suspects who were in a second vehicle.
Three female occupants, who were with Washington, including the driver, were injured during the assault. Two were released from the hospital and a third is hospitalized in stable condition.
Cicero Police and the West Suburban Major Crimes Task Force (WESTAF) are actively working on the investigation of the incident that occurred on the Town of Cicero’s border.
— Press Release
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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