A Chicago police officer was unintentionally shot and killed by her partner after they chased a suspect into an apartment building and encountered another person with a rifle.
Officer Krystal Rivera, 36, a four-year veteran of the department, was gunned down just before 10pm on Thursday as she and fellow tactical officers from the Gresham District chased a suspect, believed to be armed, into a residential building.
The foot pursuit took cops through a narrow hallway in a South Side apartment when in the chaos, Rivera’s fellow officer fired, striking her in the back, mortally wounding her.
Her partner, who has not been identified, was the only person who fired a weapon, and the ‘gunfire unintentionally struck Officer Rivera,’ city police said in a statement.
Rivera died at a hospital late on Thursday night, less than an hour after being shot. She is survived by her 10-year-old daughter, Bella Medina.
Colleagues brought Rivera to University of Chicago Medical Center in a squad car that crashed and caught fire because of a malfunction, according to Police Superintendent Larry Snelling. She was then transported in another squad car.
Snelling called Rivera ‘a hero’ and ‘a vibrant, young officer trying to keep the streets safe.’
‘She had already taken two guns off the street earlier that same day,’ Snelling said. ‘She came to work to protect this city, and she paid the ultimate price.’
Chicago police officer Krystal Rivera, 36, was unintentionally shot and killed by her partner after they chased a suspect into an apartment and encountered another person with a rifle
Officer Rivera had served the Chicago Police Department for almost four years
Snelling confirmed that the officer who discharged the fatal round is not under criminal investigation, but is ‘in a very, very tough place.’ The trauma, he said, is ‘unimaginable.’
The officer who fired the shot has not been named, but sources confirmed he is a veteran of the force and is receiving departmental support while the investigation continues.
‘We’re always reviewing our practices,’ Snelling said. ‘But it’s too early to say if this tragic incident will lead to policy changes.’
‘Rivera represented everything we want our police officers to be,’ said the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation in a statement. ‘Smart, assertive, tough, compassionate and professional.’
DailyMail.com has approached Chicago Police Department for comment.
The city’s law enforcement community is still trying to process the loss.
‘The entire city of Chicago is grieving and mourning together,’ said Mayor Brandon Johnson.
‘Officer Rivera served honorably and courageously. Her young, energetic, and bold approach toward keeping us safe is the memory we will honor.’
Three firearms were recovered at the scene. Several individuals were detained. One suspect from the scene, Adrian Rucker, 25, remains in custody, though police have not said what charges he could face.
The case is under internal investigation, and no criminal charges have been filed related to the shooting itself.
Police Superintendent Larry Snelling called Officer Rivera ‘a hero’ and ‘a vibrant, young officer trying to keep the streets safe.’
Officer Krystal Rivera and her friend and colleague, Officer Mary Lindahl, are seen along the banks of the Chicago River
Adrian Rucker, 25, of Freeport, was armed with a rifle when he encountered police inside an apartment building in Chatham, police said
Rivera’s mother, Yolanda Rivera, told the Chicago Sun-Times that her daughter had long dreamed of being a police officer since she was young.
She remembers her daughter calling herself ‘Wonder Woman’ and setting her sights on the badge as a little girl.
She wasn’t a straight shot into the academy and actually failed a section of the test at first, but she didn’t give up.
‘I told her just weeks ago to get a desk job,’ Yolanda recalled. ‘She kept saying, “Mom, I’m gonna be OK.”‘
Rivera earned a reputation within the Gresham District as a tough but compassionate cop.
‘For me, it’s a privilege,’ Rivera told the Sun-Times when she graduated from the academy in 2021. ‘I come from a family of serving. To help people in need, that’s my calling.’
For Rivera’s family, no policy or reform will fill the void she’s left behind, particularly her young daughter.
Her 11th birthday party was just days away and her mother had been helping plan every detail.
That morning, Bella said her mother hugged her a little longer than usual.
‘When she said bye, it’s like she had a feeling,’ Bella said. ‘She gave me the biggest hug, biggest kiss and she said, “If anything happens, I’m always right here,” in my heart.’
Rivera died at a hospital late Thursday, less than an hour after being shot. She is survived by her 10-year-old daughter
Officer River, pictured alongside her friend Officer Lindahl
Rivera earned a reputation within the Gresham District as a tough but compassionate cop
It was the last time Bella would ever see her mother alive.
‘She never got to wear those boots she was so excited about,’ Bella said. ‘She found them at Ross. She loved fashion and her job.’
On rainy days the pair would movies and colored together. Rivera, a single mother, loved action flicks and Jim Carrey comedies. She dreamed of one day living on a farm in neighboring Wisconsin.
‘I want to go home with her,’ Bella said. ‘I don’t want my whole life to change.’
The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation has pledged to provide financial and emotional support to Rivera’s family.
Police say Rivera’s death marks the eighth on-duty CPD shooting death since 2018.
