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Red Flags Ignored, and a Police Officer Dies

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Chicago Police Officer Krystal Rivera was shot and killed while on duty by her partner, Carlos Baker, in June 2025. While authorities say it was an accident, there was a series of troubling signs involving Baker in the years leading up to the shooting — that all went unheeded by the CPD.

Chicago Police Failed to Place Troubled Cop Under Strict Supervision Before He Fatally Shot Partner
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.
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.
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…
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.
Chicago Police Officer ‘Inadvertently’ Fired Taser a Year Before Fatally Shooting His Partner
Officials have said Officer Carlos Baker unintentionally shot and killed Officer Krystal Rivera during a chase last June. He previously reported that he mistakenly discharged his Taser after a high-speed chase that ended in a seven-vehicle crash but didn’t immediately notify dispatchers.
Chicago Police Brass Had Rejected Troubled Cop’s Move to Elite Unit Before He Fatally Shot Partner
Chief of Patrol Jon Hein approved Officer Carlos Baker’s transfer despite having denied his request for the move less than a year earlier because of “discipline’ problems.
‘Where is Justice for Krystal?’ Mom of Cop Asks After Suing Chicago Police Department, Partner Who Shot Her
The lawsuit filed by Officer Krystal Rivera’s family says Officer Carlos Baker failed to call for an ambulance after he shot her in the back during a chase and then engaged in a “cover-up.”
Family of Chicago Cop Killed in Botched Chase Sues Chicago Police Department and Partner Who Shot Her
Officer Krystal Rivera’s family says in the wrongful death suit that Officer Carlos Baker was struggling to accept her decision to end their romantic relationship when he shot her in the back in Chatham on June 5.
Chicago Police Told State Officials Officer Krystal Rivera Was Shot by an ‘Armed Suspect,’ Not Her Partner
After Rivera was killed in June by Officer Carlos Baker, officials told the Illinois Department of Labor she’d been gunned down by a barricaded suspect. The police still haven’t corrected that.
Chicago Cop Who Killed Partner Says He’s the Victim in Wicker Park Bar Fight
Officer Carlos Baker was accused of attacking a female cop at DSTRKT Bar & Grill. He told police he was harassed by two women — the off-duty cop and his girlfriend’s mother, who he said attacked him and referred to him as “a murderer.”
Chicago cop who fatally shot partner Krystal Rivera is stripped of his police powers — but not for that
Officer Carlos Baker, the Chicago cop who fatally shot his partner Krystal Rivera while pursuing a suspect, was stripped of his police powers on Friday but not for the shooting. The action came days after the Chicago Sun-Times and the Illinois Answers Project reported that a female officer accused him of attacking her at a bar in Wicker…
Chicago cop who fatally shot partner Krystal Rivera accused of attacking female officer
Officer Carlos Baker and a woman allegedly beat the other cop late Sunday at a Wicker Park bar after pushing her to delete videos taken on her cellphone.
Woman Shot With Glock Stolen From a Chicago Police Station Sues City, Says Cops Pilfered It
The handgun was stolen from a room full of police officers at the Gresham District station and ended up being used in crimes including the shooting of Twanda Willingham, who’s now suing.
Family of Slain Chicago Police Officer Krystal Rivera, Shot in Back by Fellow Officer, Calls For Independent Investigation, Full Transparency From CPD
The family is asking for the Illinois State Police to take over the investigation as their attorney says CPD’s story of what happened doesn’t “pass the smell test.”
Chicago Cop Who Inadvertently Shot and Killed Partner Has Lengthy Disciplinary Record over Short Career
Officer Carlos A. Baker has had more than a dozen complaints against him, records show.
Gun Stolen From a Room Full of Chicago Cops Ended Up Being Used in a Series of Shootings
That’s what records obtained by the Illinois Answers Project and the Sun-Times found. The Glock handgun should have been destroyed after it was turned in to police at a buyback at St. Sabina Church in late 2023.
‘Where is the Glock?’ Gun Turned Over to Chicago Police Wound up in the Hands of a Teenager
The Chicago Police Department has used gun buybacks to get thousands of guns off the street, but at least two of them have resurfaced at crime scenes. In November, a 16-year-old boy was found with a Glock handgun that went missing after it was handed in at a buyback.

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