There was no wail of bagpipes or heavy thuds of drums Thursday in Summit at the funeral of Chicago Patrolman Avidael Rosales, who was killed while off duty last weekend.
About 400 people gathered Thursday in Summit to remember him, and the funeral sounds were sniffles and mournful cries.
There was no rendition of the traditional funeral tune, “Balmoral,” by the Pipes and Drums of the Emerald Society in the air. And no sighting of Mayor Richard Daley or Chicago Police Supt. Matt Rodriguez.
Rosales, 27, was shot twice at about 4 a.m. Saturday morning on a Southwest Side street while walking his girlfriend home from the bar at which she worked.
A police review board ruled Monday that the six-year veteran’s murder did not meet line-of-duty standards, adding that his death had nothing to do with his job. So the traditional police funeral trappings were absent Thursday.
His funeral drew about 100 uniformed law enforcement officers from Chicago and surrounding communities. And nearly 300 family members and friends attended the mass in St. Blase Catholic Church, 6101 S. 75th Ave., to honor a man described as “an all-around good person.”
“I’ve known him for three years, and he was one of the most hard-working and caring people I ever met,” Tony Meza said. “We were good friends. And it’s still hard to believe he is gone.”
The quiet celebration of his life was slightly overshadowed by the news of the death of Sergio Morales, the 24-year-old suspect accused of killing Rosales. He was charged late Sunday with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting.
Morales was found Wednesday hanging from a horizontal bar of his cell with a bath towel around his neck during a regular check by deputies about 10:50 p.m. He had been checked by another deputy about 20 minutes earlier, said Bill Cunningham, a sheriff’s spokesman.
“He had the towel tied around the highest horizontal bar and tied around his neck,” said Cunningham, who noted that Morales also tied socks to the towel.
Morales, who was being held in one of the few areas of the jail where cells have bars, left a note, written in Spanish to women whom authorities identified as his sister and a girlfriend. In the note, he said he was despondent about his arrest and did not want to serve a long prison term, Cunningham said.
“He basically said goodbye to them in the letters,” said Cunningham.
Morales underwent a psychological evaluation when he was booked into the jail on Monday.
“There weren’t any indications during the interview that he was a suicide risk,” Cunningham said.
He said Chicago police also investigated Morales’ hanging and ruled it a suicide. The deputies on duty, according to Cunningham, followed proper procedures.
Mireya Rivera said she was surprised to hear the news of Morales’ death.
“I feel sorry for him (Morales),” said Rivera, a cousin of Rosales’. “I knew Avidael since he was a young boy. The entire family is taking his death really hard. But now is not the time to be angry. We are just trying to support each other.”
Avidael Rosales is survived by his parents, Roberto Sr. and Sophia; a son, Roberto; two sisters, Sylvia and Evangelina; and two brothers, Albert and Roberto Jr.
Rosales was most recently assigned to a special gang and narcotics team in the Albany Park District.
Police chaplain Adolfo Lopez said Rosales should be remembered for his courage.
“We have lost a family member. And we are hurting today,” Lopez said. “He was loved by everyone. But as police officers we are going to continue to go out and protect and serve.”
Rosales is one of three off-duty Chicago police officers slain in the last two months.
