PHOTOS: Crash scene
Officer Harris was off-duty when the car he was driving was struck by a white van being chased by Calumet Park police officers at 87th and Lafayette. Prosecutors said Terrell, 31, was behind the wheel of that van. Another person inside that van was also taken into custody after the crash, police said.
Chicago police officials arrived for a meeting with Calumet Park detectives, as both departments are now apparently involved in investigating the death of CPD Officer David Harris.
"David was one of Chicago's finest," said Jeanette Little-Davis, Harris's cousin. "He had a heart of gold. He was a humble man, and he was a man of God and a family man."
The 42-year-old Harris, a 10-year CPD veteran, was killed early after finishing his shift.
Chicago police say his black Lexus was struck by a white van that had been pursued by a Calumet Park Police officer, the crash at 87th and Lafayette more than five miles from Calumet Park.
"He was a true blue knight, and the way that this happened is shameful, and I'm angry about it," said neighbor Ronald Rockwell.
"It could have been avoided because everybody knows in a city like Chicago, you do not pursue," Little-Davis said.
A procession of police vehicles escorted Harris's body to the morgue, where more of his colleagues greeted his arrival.
Harris was married, with two elementary school age sons, and was a decorated officer, having earned 87 department awards.
"This man was working his job, get off work, protecting this world. And then to lose his life," Harris's cousin Jimmy Smith said.
Chicago Police say two people in the white van were taken into custody. The circumstances surrounding the police pursuit are unclear, though reports say the van may have been stolen with drugs found inside.
"Was the crime murder? What was the crime that the person committed that would make it necessary to chase somebody at high speeds?" Rockwell asked.
Calumet Park Police Chief Mark Davis has not returned our phone calls.
Meanwhile, Harris's relatives say they do want answers, but for now, they're focusing on mourning the loss of their loved one.
