In Memory of Eric Solorio, AQPS '97

1979 - 2006

A member of the Chicago Police Department's elite antigang unit died Sunday, nearly a month after his squad car went out of control during a chase and smashed into a tree.  Eric Solorio, 26, had been hospitalized since the Jan. 17 accident in the city's Englewood neighborhood.

Friends who grew up with Eric on the Southwest Side say he seemed untouched by the gangs and the violence that surrounded them, that he rarely acknowledged their existence.  There was a constant urgency about him, who since childhood seemed to be searching for a way to help others, friends and family said.  After high school at Quigley Seminary, Eric entered St. Joseph College Seminary at Loyola University but transferred to the school's premed program.  When he announced to friends that he had finally found his calling, to become a police officer, few were surprised.  "He wanted to help people to live better, which is why he wanted to be a doctor, but he couldn't wait, he wanted to do it immediately," said Juan Mendez, Eric's cousin who grew up with him near 43rd and Honore Streets.  Even after his first surgery, Eric had the nurses at Christ Hospital laughing as he blew everyone kisses despite having tubes in his throat and being under sedation.

"One of our own has been taken from us," Supt. Philip Cline said in a printed statement.  "The community has lost a friend and protector, and a family has lost a loved one whose character and courage they will continue to love and respect forever."

Charles Sheehan, Chicago Tribune