Family opens up about Chicago police officer killed in crash
By Carlos Sadovi, Chicago Tribune | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
He wants people to know about his son's charisma and ambition and how good grades led to a scholarship to the
"He loved being a
That vehicle and Rodriguez's motorcycle collided after the driver tried to make an abrupt lane change to avoid missing the exit at
Rodriguez's father, mother and sister, 33, painted a picture Tuesday of a tight-knit family.
Rodriguez-Zayas said Tuesday she could call or text her brother any time and expect a quick response, even when he was at his girlfriend's house.
"If he loved you, you were loved for life," said his sister. "He was the love of my life."
The young man's girlfriend of five years,
"It didn't matter what he achieved, he always wanted more and more," she said. "His energy and his ambition was just so infectious. I would pick up on his energy," she said.
"It wasn't against the law that he didn't have a helmet," he said, pointing to criticism of his son's decision.
"Too many times when a motorcyclist is struck, it's always, 'Well, he came out of nowhere, I didn't see him,' the father said. "That was not the case here."
The elder Rodriguez said he's been driving his son's
The morning of the accident, Rodriguez Jr. texted a photo to his father of him holding 125-pound dumbbells in each hand.
"I wish I would've went with him that day,"
Friends, family and other police officers have been visiting with the family since Sunday. Rodriguez Jr. was close with so many people that, for his funeral, pallbearers will be switched out four times to accommodate his closest co-workers, friends and family, his father said.
Visitation has been set for
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