Page 39 - 01A_CL7_SEP21.indd

Honoring Our Heroes
Our Hero
Joshua Blas exemplifies ‘the spirit of the Chicago Police Department’ n BY KAREN JENKINS
After Officer Joshua Blas poured his heart out when speaking at the funeral of his partner, best friend and police soul- mate Ella French, his sisters and broth- ers inside and outside St. Rita of Cascia erupted into a prolonged ovation. They offered a reception worthy of a hero, which Officer Blas certainly is.
His actions helped put an end to the vi- olent tragedy that transpired on the night of Aug. 7. The incident caused immense physical harm and psychological trau- ma that should have never happened, and without Blas’s heroic intervention, it could’ve been even more deadly.
“We need to support him every day from this day forward for his behavior and actions that night,” Lodge 7 Presi- dent John Catanzara said. “When you see him, you know him, reach out to him, hug him, talk to him. Let him know he’s loved and respected, and we’re going to kind of keep a serious eye on Josh here — I don’t want him feeling lost in the shuf- fle.”
While French conducted a routine traffic stop with partners Blas and Car- los Yanez Jr., a struggle ensued near the trunk of the vehicle, moving toward the front of the car. In an instant, the suspect produced a handgun, fatally striking French in the head and striking Yanez three times in the head and shoulder.
Without a second thought, Blas imme- diately put himself in harm’s way to re- turn gunfire and strike the killer, ending the altercation and arresting the suspects on the scene. That is the type of sacrifice you exhibit for family.
However, the officer has unspeakable emotional trauma from watching Yanez endure critical injuries and French — who appeared to be like a little sister to him — fall in front of his eyes. If not for Blas, there is a good chance that Yanez would not be alive today.
“He showed the spirit of the Chica- go Police Department,” said Joe Duple- chin, who worked alongside French and Yanez on the Community Safety Team and has nine years on the job. “It shows
how strong a character he has. When you think about it, he was relatively in a safe position, there’s no chance of him getting harmed if he stayed where he was. But he didn’t do that. He went and faced death in order to stop the incident and save Carlos.”
At French’s funeral, Blas put aside any notion of heroism to talk about his part- ner, who became like family to him after they met in October 2019. Although their time as partners was tragically cut short, it was full of teamwork.
“Getting along with her was never an issue. Ella and I were pretty opposite at first in a lot of ways when we were work- ing,” Blas said. “She was loud, fun and outgoing. She always loved getting to know people and talking to them. She was bubbly and always laughing. She genuinely loved people and always asked if they needed anything, just to try and be helpful and brighten somebody’s day.”
The connection they had as partners was palpable between everybody who witnessed their interactions. French and Blas, whose father and grandfather were Chicago Police Officers, filled nine hours in a vehicle together every shift with laughter, conversation and focus. Carlos Nunez, who worked with both officers in the 10th District, observed their deep friendship daily.
“Ella found a friend, a partner and a big brother in Joshua. At times, he would tell her things that only a big brother could tell a baby sister,” Nunez explained. “He tried to guide her in the right direction, and sometimes, Ella took it and she un- derstood. ‘That’s my big brother and he’s giving me advice and he’s guiding me in the right direction.’ So it was really heart- breaking that this happened.”
Everything has reminded Blas of French during the past month. From dogs on the street that she always want- ed to chase and bring to the shelter to the banana bread that she brought to work every day, Blas cannot stop think- ing of the kindness and life that French brought to the Department.
And, despite his heroic actions that saved a life that night, he’ll never forget French as the true hero, for making the ultimate sacrifice.
“I start thinking about all the fun we had together and all the great memories that I will always have of her, and how lucky I was to have known her,” Blas said. “Those are the memories I will focus on, because those are the memories that make me happy. Ella, you’re a great po- lice officer from your department. Thank you for all the great memories. I miss you. Thank you.”
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ SEPTEMBER 2021 39