Two Charged In Murder Of Officer Valadez

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jun 3, 2009 2:00PM

Yesterday afternoon, Chicago Police arrested two men in connection with the Monday shooting death of police officer Alejandro "Alex" Valadez and charged each with one count of first-degree murder of a peace officer, one count of first-degree murder, and one count of attempted murder.

The men, Kevin Walker, 21, and Shawn Gaston, 20, had just been involved in a shooting in the same area where Valadez was shot, which was the call that prompted Valadez and his partner to investigate. Both have several previous gun charges and Walker has been charged as driver of the car while sources claim Gaston has admitted being the shooter.

Police caught a break thanks to a traffic stop by an Illinois State Police the day before the shooting in which both men were in the car police believed was used in the shooting. The Sun-Times explains:

The two were stopped for a seat belt violation, and the encounter was videotaped as a matter of routine practice, the sources said. It was key because it put Gaston and Walker inside the car together a day before the Valadez shooting.

Detectives found the ticket and contacted the state to inquire about whether there was a tape, source said. It was turned over immediately.

The car was recovered by the department's Targeted Response Unit. Inside were three guns -- including one in the trunk of the car that detectives believe was the murder weapon. A shell casing recovered in the car also matched those found at the scene, Byrne said. Tests on evidence are ongoing.

Valadez is the third Chicago police officer to be killed in the line of duty in less than a year.