The trial of Steven Montano, charged with several felonies including the first-degree murder of Chicago Police Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso, is reaching its critical phase, with closing arguments set to begin on Monday. As reported by ABC7 Chicago, the prosecution will soon wrap up a case that has depicted Lasso as being fatally shot five times in March 2023.
In his defense, Montano took the stand, offering jurors a narrative that pivoted on fear deeply ingrained by past encounters with law enforcement. According to testimony obtained by CBS News Chicago, Montano claimed that the shooting was not intentional but rather "a reaction out of pure fear." Montano, 21, explained that when his girlfriend called 911 during a domestic dispute, his instinct was to flee, leading to the tragic confrontation where Officer Vasquez Lasso was shot.
Montano's testimony detailed a tumultuous history with the police, describing a laundry list of negative interactions, including a tense episode where his father was pulled over and their car was swarmed by officers. On the day of the officer's shooting, it was said by Montano that the gun, which "just happened to fall into my possession," was drawn as he misinterpreted a command to stop, during the chase, as a life-threatening situation.
Challenged by the prosecution on whether the outcome would've been different had he surrendered, Montano believed that the officers, positioned in the middle of an elementary school campus, would have shot him regardless, a point prosecutors aimed to negate, highlighting the necessary and justified nature of each police interaction with Montano in the lead-up to the shooting.
