An Illinois sheriffs' officer was fatally shot while trying to break up an armed robbery outside a family Christmas party, authorities said Saturday.
Cuauhtemoc Estrada, 50, died Friday night outside a VFW hall in Bellwood, about 13 miles from downtown Chicago.
Officials with the Cook County Sheriffs' Office released few details.
They only would say that one of the gunmen shot Estrada when he was trying to intervene in the robbery.
Estrada is a former Marine who had been with the department for more than 20 years.
Cook County sheriff's spokeswoman Cara Smith said Estrada "died the same way he lived, which was protecting everyone he served." She called it a "tragic loss to his family and to this department."
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/12/21/3830933/illinois-deputy-fatally-shot-outside.html#storylink=cpy