Chicago Police officers head to the wake for Chicago Police Officer David Blake at A.R. Leak Funeral Home on the South Side. (Heather Charles/Chicago Tribune)
David Blake was the ultimate partner, an aggressive Chicago police officer yet gentle friend who loved a good road trip and a solid hit on the football field, friends and colleagues said today.
"Dave was always the guy that's coming to the rescue," said Sean Davis, one of Blake's former partners.
Hundreds of people attended a wake Sunday for Blake, a SWAT team member who was on the force for 15 years.
Blake, 45, was found Nov. 22 dead with multiple gunshot wounds inside his SUV in the 2900 block of West Seipp Street, several miles from his home. A cigarette was dangling from his mouth.
The vehicle's windows were up, suggesting the shots were fired from inside, several sources have told the Tribune.
No one is in custody, and police continue to investigate, authorities said.
Blake was laid to rest wearing his olive green SWAT uniform, his helmet nearby. Inside Leak and Sons Funeral Homes in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood, photos on display captured Blake's various experiences on the force.
The officers weren't only grieving for Blake. He was one of two Chicago police officers killed last week and the sixth to die violently this year.
"When you go out every day, you don't know if you're coming back," said Carmelena Dunson, a retired Chicago police officer. "It's frightening. It's frustrating. We all are devastated when we have one of our own killed."
Amidst the pain, friends and colleagues described Blake's close friendships. He taught a fellow officer how to ride a motorcycle and, having a knack for photography, snapped prom pictures for a friend's daughter.
Samuel Jones, Blake's running back and special teams coach on the Chicago Enforcers, the police department's football team, said despite his age, Blake could still pummel with force on the field.
Strong and swift, Blake was known to run after assailants and have them in handcuffs before other officers arrived on the scene, said Samuel Kendrick, a close friend who vacationed with Blake and was on various police teams with him for 13 years.
"Dave was a great guy who did not deserve to go the way he did," Kendrick said, his eyes welling with tears.
Blake, 45, was found Nov. 22 dead with multiple gunshot wounds inside his SUV in the 2900 block of West Seipp Street, several miles from his home. A cigarette was dangling from his mouth.
The vehicle's windows were up, suggesting the shots were fired from inside, several sources have told the Tribune.
No one is in custody, and police continue to investigate, authorities said.
Blake was laid to rest wearing his olive green SWAT uniform, his helmet nearby. Inside Leak and Sons Funeral Homes in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood, photos on display captured Blake's various experiences on the force.
The officers weren't only grieving for Blake. He was one of two Chicago police officers killed last week and the sixth to die violently this year.
"When you go out every day, you don't know if you're coming back," said Carmelena Dunson, a retired Chicago police officer. "It's frightening. It's frustrating. We all are devastated when we have one of our own killed."
Amidst the pain, friends and colleagues described Blake's close friendships. He taught a fellow officer how to ride a motorcycle and, having a knack for photography, snapped prom pictures for a friend's daughter.
Samuel Jones, Blake's running back and special teams coach on the Chicago Enforcers, the police department's football team, said despite his age, Blake could still pummel with force on the field.
Strong and swift, Blake was known to run after assailants and have them in handcuffs before other officers arrived on the scene, said Samuel Kendrick, a close friend who vacationed with Blake and was on various police teams with him for 13 years.
"Dave was a great guy who did not deserve to go the way he did," Kendrick said, his eyes welling with tears.
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