Police Officer Areanah Preston will be laid to rest Wednesday morning at a church on the south side of Chicago.
Preston, 24, had been on the force for only three years when she was gunned down by four teens on a crime spree in the violence-plagued Windy City a week ago Saturday. All four have been charged with first-degree murder and are being held without bond.
The funeral service will begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Trinity United Church of Christ, 400 W. 95th St.
Visitation for Officer Preston was held Tuesday at Blake-Lamb Funeral Home. There will be a procession from the funeral home before the memorial service.
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Preston was shot and killed outside her South Side home on May 6 after returning from a night shift, according to police. She was the sixth and final victim of a string of robberies kicked off because one of the suspects allegedly "needed money for a barbecue," prosecutors said in court last week.
Trevell Breeland, 19; Joseph Brooks, 19; Jakwon Buchanan, 18; and a 16-year-old juvenile whose name was not released all face charges that include murder and robbery in Preston's death.
Police also charged them in connection with five other armed robberies that same evening, a carjacking and, in Breeland's case, felon in possession of a firearm. All four had lengthy rap sheets, and none had jobs or had finished high school, according to prosecutors.
Brooks, the suspected triggerman, told police he shot Preston when he saw her reaching for her service weapon, according to prosecutors.
Preston returned fire, sending back two rounds before she was struck in the face and neck, prosecutors revealed in court.
Preston has been remembered for her kindness, intellect and commitment to service. She had recently received her master’s degree in jurisprudence from Loyola School of Law.
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called Preston’s death a "profound tragedy," saying, "my heart breaks for the family of the young officer who was murdered."
Johnson inherited a city that has seen unprecedented gun violence in recent years, and it’s unclear how, or if, he will be able to combat it. During his campaign he promised to hire 200 more Chicago Police Department detectives to help solve the revolving door of cases.
The mayor has argued that a policing-first approach has failed and instead proposed increased mental health treatment, expanding youth jobs programs and increasing taxes on the sale of properties over $1 million to support more affordable housing.
Fox News' Michael Ruiz and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
