Page 33 - December 2018

Honoring a Hero
path that defines all Chicago Police Officers, they ran toward the gunfire from a deranged man on a killing spree at Mercy Hospital.
Moments after entering the hospital, Jimenez was hit with a shot that resulted in the ultimate sacrifice and a final confir- mation of a mantra that defined him: The hero is the man who lets no obstacle prevent him from the values he has chosen. As the tributes flowed in the weeks following this tragic loss – and will continue from here to eternity – the world learned about how Samuel Jimenez overcame obstacles throughout his life and has been defining heroism since he was five years old, when he first announced that he wanted to be a police officer.
“His passion to serve others was one of his greatest qual- ities. That’s why he took that oath, that oath that supported his values that he believed in,” extolled Officer Rafael Villegas, another of Sam’s partners in 002 and one of his best friends. “His selfless thoughts showed through his everyday life. His proof of all that was with his little ones and his wife. He never complained. He never took a day off. His heart always went out in times of hardship. He was a one-of-a-kind hero.”

When the 10-1 came across the desk in 001, Jimenez and Zambrano told the watch operations lieutenant that they knew where it was and took off with the herd of beat cars speeding toward the hospital and the special ops teams that followed. The shooter had already killed his former fiancée, Tamara O’Neal, 38, who was an emergency room doctor at the hospital and was on his way to the deadliest shooting spree in three decades, in which a Chicago police officer was among the three killed.
Department officers recovered more than 30 spent bullet cartridges from the parking lot and inside the hospital — all from the shooter’s 9mm Glock 17 handgun, which also took the life of 24-year-old pharmacy resident Dayna Less. Jimenez had entered the hospital as part of establishing a perimeter when the shooter fired and fatally wounded him.
The reverence coming from all points painted Jimenez as a fearless hero. But he would be the first to insist that heroes are not braver than anyone else; they are just braver five minutes longer.
“On the day Sam left us, he was just doing what came nat- ural to him,” Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson acknowledged during his eulogy at the funeral Mass. “He stepped into action because he sensed people were in danger. He defended the defenseless in a despicable act of violence that tore a hole in our city. We memorialize him for defining the meaning of heroism.”

Heroes don’t have the need to be known as heroes. They just do what heroes do because it is right and it must be done. Sec- ond District Officer Ivan Villalobos felt the warmth of Sam’s re- lentless desire to do what is right just a couple of months back.
Villalobos came to 002 in August and wandered around like a deer in the headlights until Jimenez offered a guiding light. “He was the person I could go up to and ask any question,” Villalobos recounted.
002 quickly partnered up, and as a PPO, Villalobos was nearly left without a chair. But Jimenez picked him as his partner.
“That was a big deal for me because he went out of his way to make me feel comfortable,” Villalobos added. “We just kind of vibed together. He was easy to connect with, easy to talk to. He was one of the guys who knew what he was doing.”

The definitions of Sam’s heroic practices began with Chica- go Lodge 7 President Kevin Graham’s recognition on the day Jimenez was lost. “Today, the Fraternal Order of Police lost a valiant brother, a courageous police officer who got up this morning went to work and wanted to protect the city of Chica- go. He did just that. But he did so with his life,” Graham stated at a news conference outside University of Chicago Hospital, where Jimenez was taken after being shot.
Such praise continued, including declarations from the mayor and the governor. Retired Chicago Police Officer Al Lo- pez, who worked 23 years on patrol before joining the Depart- ment’s Chaplains Unit, offered one of the most meaningful reflections during the funeral Mass on Nov. 26. Deacon Al had spent several days following Sam’s passing with the family, and he explained that out of the love he felt came his homily delivered in Spanish. Out of that, there was one line he wanted translated for all Chicago Police Officers to confirm the hero- ics they contribute every day.
“Romans 13 tells us that God has called us to serve, and that’s why we become police officers,” Deacon Al emphasized. “We become peacemakers. We’re the front line. We’re the barbed wire that stands between the sheep and wolves. That’s what Sam was – the barbed wire who kept the wolf away.”
Father Dan Brandt, director of the Chicago Police Chaplains Ministry, furthered the defining moments of the funeral Mass homily by pontificating how the gospels remind that there in no greater love than to give up one’s life for another. As he praised how actions from Jimenez and every other Chicago Police Officer responding at Mercy Hospital saved many lives that afternoon, Father Dan provided a little hero worship as only he can.
“In my Father’s dwelling place, there is a dwelling place for those who put other’s lives before self,” Father Dan preached. “We know that our brother did not live for oneself. He lived for
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When the Van Dyke 12-hour days were ordered, officers in
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