Thousands of officers from the Los Angeles Police Department and law enforcement agencies throughout California gathered to mourn Officer Filbert Cuesta in an emotional service at Calvary Chapel.
"You served the LAPD with honor and dignity," said Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan. "You protected the weak from peril and shepherded those who lost their way. You were a hero among heroes. Today, you are in a much better place."
The 26-year-old officer is survived by his widow, Sylvia, and two little daughters, 18-month-old Samantha and 1-month-old Sierra Rose.
"I never knew you, Fil Cuesta, but judging by your family I do know you are a very special person," the mayor said.
The convicted drug felon arrested for investigation of killing Cuesta has a record of previous arrests but no convictions for violent offenses, a newspaper reported today.
Catarino Gonzalez Jr., who lives in a Los Angeles neighborhood known for gang activity, has been arrested about half a dozen times since 1994, mainly for drug-related offenses, The Los Angeles Times said, citing court documents.
Gonzalez, 20, surrendered to authorities late Tuesday after his family told him that he was being sought in the case. It was not known if Gonzalez was at the party, Police Chief Bernard Parks said.
Court records don't reveal whether Gonzalez is a gang member, but his tattoos and his statements indicate he is a member of the 18th Street gang, law enforcement sources told The Times.
Gonzalez is on probation after spending 120 days in jail on a felony conviction of purchasing and possessing crack cocaine for sale, court records show. His probation bars him from associating with gang members or being in places where drugs are used.
Murder and attempted murder charges were filed Friday by the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office against Gonzalez.
He pleaded innocent to the charges in Municipal Court.
Judge Dale Fischer scheduled a Sept. 10 conference to determine when to hold a preliminary hearing on the evidence against Gonzalez.
Gonzalez's lawyer says prosecutors have the wrong man.
Friends, family and police colleagues held a vigil for Cuesta Thursday night outside the LAPD's Southwest station. Officers wearing black bands across their badges clutched burning candles as they remembered the friendly officer known as "Fil."
"He was always friendly, always smiling, always had something good to say," said Karen Wells, an LAPD employee. "I want to make sure that I strive to be a similar role model to what he was to me."
More than 190 officers have been killed in the LAPD's history, including 15 since 1990 and two in the past eight months, said Parks.
"We average a little over an officer each year and it is tear-jerking and heartbreaking every time," he said, "but we also know that that's one of the downsides of this business."
His widow, Sylvia Cuesta, said in an interview with KCAL-TV that she isn't angry at her husband's killer.
"He was out there ... to shoot an officer, not to shoot Fil," she said. "It wasn't a personal thing. I just hope he realizes what he has done. He left two little girls without their father and as much as I am strong, I can't say the same for my girls. ... They're not going to have their father there anymore."
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Copyright 1998 by The Associated Press
Slain Officer Eulogized As A Hero
Murder Charges Filed Against Cuesta's Alleged Killer
DIAMOND BAR, Calif., Updated 6:30 p.m. August 14, 1998 -- A young Los Angeles police officer gunned down in his patrol car last weekend was eulogized today as a hero. 
Cuesta, of Norwalk, was shot in the head by bullets fired through the rear window of his patrol car early Sunday. He and a partner were outside a party where gang members had shown up. The officers were waiting for backup units to arrive. 
The case against Gonzalez lacks key physical evidence, including the murder weapon, a 9 mm pistol believed to have been used to shoot Cuesta in the back of the head, police sources told The Times. 
Cuesta was a four-year veteran of the force and member of its Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums anti-gang program.
Cards can be sent to:
LAPD Southwest Division
c/o Capt. Brennan
1546 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Los Angeles, Calif., 90062
Sylvia Cuesta
c/o Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher
333 S. Grand Ave., Suite 4600
Los Angeles, CA 90071
attn: Tom Holliday