Carlos Baker was referred to a program that subjects officers to intense oversight. Those who fail can face “severe” discipline or be fired. But Baker wasn’t enrolled before he shot Officer Krystal Rivera because a supervisor didn’t respond to an email.
Casey Toner
Casey Toner, a Chicago native, has been an Illinois Answers reporter since 2016, taking the lead on numerous projects about criminal justice and politics. His series on police shootings in suburban Cook County resulted in a state law requiring procedural investigations of all police shootings in Illinois. Before he joined Illinois Answers, he wrote for the Daily Southtown and was a statewide reporter for Alabama Media Group, a consortium of Alabama newspapers. Outside of work, he enjoys watching soccer and writing music.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Addicted to Gambling in Illinois: ‘Someone Has Decided They Can Make Money Off You’
People in Illinois lost more than $7.7 billion gambling last year. As lawmakers increasingly bet on gambling to pay the state’s bills, they have only spare change to treat compulsive gamblers
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
What Compulsive Gamblers Know
The hopes, dreams and tragedies of people who can’t stop betting
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
A Growing Community of Recovering Gamblers Lifts Each Other Up as Formal Resources Lag
How a podcast and 12-step network are doing the work the state can’t, and where it falls short
Posted inFollow-Up
After Chicago Cop was Shot, Frantic Search for Car Keys Delayed Care, Newly Obtained Video Shows
The rush to get Officer Krystal Rivera to a hospital was apparently delayed almost three critical minutes after she was fatally shot by her partner Carlos Baker, new records analyzed by the Illinois Answers Project and the Chicago Sun-Times show.
Posted inFollow-Up
Body Cam Video Shows Chicago Cop Took Cover for 90 Seconds After Fatally Shooting His Partner, Krystal Rivera
The footage released Friday shows that officer Carlos Baker ran up a stairwell after his gun went off when they encountered an armed man, leaving Rivera bleeding from a gunshot he initially said had been fired by someone else. He later told an investigator he would have risked his life to help Rivera, saying, “I will die for her.”
Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety
Chicago Cops Did Little to Probe Gun Stolen From Police Station and Used in Three Shootings, New Records Show
The Chicago Police Department fought to keep secret any details of its investigation into a Glock handgun that was taken from a room full of cops at the Gresham District station in late 2023. In the end, no one was charged, and no cops were disciplined.
Posted inFollow-Up
Trump Administration Sues Illinois Over State’s Attempts to Regulate Prediction Markets
The feds argue they have primary authority to regulate the popular markets, not the states. Illinois says the move puts profits over people.
Posted inInvestigations
Illinois Regulators Say Prediction Markets Are Illegal Gambling, But Bettors — and the Trump Family — Love Them
Prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket rake in millions from wagers on sports and current events but pay nothing in state betting taxes and ignore regulations that govern online sportsbooks.
Posted inInvestigations
Prediction Markets Up Against Illinois’ Century-Old Gambling Law in Series of Lawsuits
Class-action lawsuits against prediction market platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi seek to make the financial giants pony up for bettors’ losses in Illinois and other states. The platforms continue to argue what they’re doing is perfectly legal.
