Family and colleagues honor fallen CPD Officer Aréanah Preston in evening vigil; 5 in custody in connection with shooting – Chicago Tribune

Hundreds gathered Tuesday evening in the District 5 police station courtyard to honor and mourn Chicago police Officer Aréanah Preston, who was fatally shot after returning home from a shift early Saturday.

A hush fell over the crowd as a bagpipe played and Preston’s family made their way to some chairs in front of a yellow and light blue balloon arch. Police Department leaders lined up at the front, facing mourners.

Preston’s mother, Dionne Mhoon, teared up as she sat down. Her cries cut through the silence: “My baby! My baby!”

Department officials and colleagues of Preston shared the microphone to express condolences to her family and remember her as an “inspiration,” “fighter,” “true hero” and a “firecracker” who faced evil head on.

At least five people were in custody Monday in connection with the 24-year-old’s death, according to police sources with knowledge of the investigation. The “persons of interest,” including two females, were taken into custody after a standoff with police in Auburn Gresham, a source told the Tribune. No one had yet been charged as of Tuesday evening.

“She was a lion,” said 5th District Cmdr. Tyrone Pendarvis. “She was a delight of a person — and that’s the type of officer we need.”

“There’s nothing but love here,” Deputy Chief Larry Snelling told Preston’s family, asking her mother to stand up and take a look around.

Mhoon slowly rose from her seat, holding her hands to her chest and blowing kisses to the crowd.

Preston’s family then made their way to the podium.

“This has been an overwhelming situation,” Mhoon said, taking a long pause. “But I’ve been showered with so much love and support.”

“We love ya! We love ya, mama!” someone yelled from the crowd, encouraging her as she took another breath.

Preston’s mother, who runs a day care, said she is passionate about caring for children. “And to think that I have to bury my baby, and I poured so much into her.”

“Firecracker is definitely the word for my baby,” she said. “She was a goal-setter. She wrote everything down that she wanted to do. And she did everything that she wanted to do.”

“I thank you guys for accepting her,” Mhoon said, turning around to look at department leaders. “I thank you guys for everything you’ve done for her. I thank God for giving her to us.”

Preston has been remembered by those who knew her as a hardworking woman, a sweet person and a humble yet sophisticated soul with a bright future ahead of her. She was close to earning a master’s degree in child and family law from Loyola University Chicago and had previously studied criminal justice and law enforcement administration at Illinois State University as an undergraduate.

The young officer, who had only been with the department for three years, was assigned to the Calumet District station on the Far South Side. An ISU professor who knew Preston as an undergraduate said she was “passionate about making a difference,” and doing so “boots on the ground” in Chicago.

Preston’s academic interests and passions reflected that even early on in school, as she participated in various field trips, panels and classes on topics that ranged from restorative justice and trauma in incarcerated populations to diversity in law enforcement and police brutality.

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Though Preston was slain when returning to her Avalon Park home in the 8100 block of South Blackstone Avenue after a shift, a department spokesperson said CPD had classified her death as a line-of-duty death, which entitles her family to financial assistance from the state. Police have yet to give a possible motive for the shooting, though it was being investigated as a possible robbery that took a violent turn.

Police responded to “ShotSpotter” calls about 1:45 a.m. Saturday and found Preston with gunshot wounds, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office and police. One of the first officers to get there rendered aid, but Preston was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center where she died, police said.

Preston’s death from multiple gunshot wounds was ruled a homicide, the medical examiner’s office said Sunday.

“If you guys believe in the power of prayer,” Preston’s mother said at the Tuesday vigil, “if you guys believe in God, keep us in your prayers. Don’t stop praying for us, even when all of this is gone, don’t stop praying for us.”

She said that, at the end of the day, she knows her family will be all right, because “God is good and joy comes in the morning.”

“I have an excellent support team. I have my husband by my side,” she said. “And I got this big old police family behind me.”

adperez@chicagotribune.com