Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will not attend the funeral of slain police officer Enrique Martinez on Monday, following a request from Martinez’s family after previously indicating he would attend, a spokeswoman for Johnson confirmed Saturday .
Martinez will be buried Monday at the Chapel of St. Rita of Cascia Shrine in Chicago.
“The family of Officer Enrique Martinez continues to be in my prayers as they prepare to bury him. I have heard from the family and am honoring their request and no longer have the plan to attend the honorary funeral. It’s been an emotional couple of weeks for Officer Martinez’s loved ones, the Chicago Police Department and the city of Chicago. Agent Martinez and give his family and the family of CPD a space to grieve “The focus must remain on Officer Martinez, his loved ones, and CPD as our city continues to honor his ultimate sacrifice and legacy of service,” the office said. Johnson in a statement.
Martinez was killed in the line of duty on Nov. 2 after initiating a traffic stop on a vehicle blocking traffic in Chicago’s East Chatham neighborhood.
A passenger in the vehicle that Martinez and his partner stopped opened fire after grabbing a backpack during the stop, fatally striking Martinez and the driver of the vehicle.
Martinez was 26 years old and on the eve of his third anniversary with the department.
