Family of slain Chicago officer sues city, says department ignored warnings about dangerous partner

The household of a Chicago Police serviceman fatally changeable by her spouse during a pursuit earlier this twelvemonth has filed a wrongful decease lawsuit, alleging the section ignored wide informing signs that the serviceman posed a menace to her.

The lawsuit, filed by the parent of Officer Krystal Rivera, claims the Chicago Police Department knew Officer Carlos Baker had a past of reckless behaviour and convulsive misconduct but continued assigning him to enactment alongside Rivera. Rivera, 36, was changeable and killed connected June 5 portion the brace were trying to apprehend an equipped suspect.

According to the complaint, Rivera had repeatedly expressed concerns to supervisors astir Baker’s behaviour and ended a two-year on-again, off-again romanticist narration with him soon earlier the shooting. The suit states the section was alert of aggregate complaints against Baker, including an allegation from a erstwhile woman who accused him of threatening her with a weapon wrong a bar.

Rivera’s mother, Yolanda, said her girl ne'er should person feared the idiosyncratic assigned to ticker her back. "Krystal understood the dangers of this job. She accepted the hazard that came with policing. What she ne'er should person had to fearfulness was her ain partner," she said. "That betrayal outgo Krystal’s life."

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Krystal Rivera, 36, was changeable by chap serviceman Carlos Baker connected June 5 portion the brace attempted to apprehend an equipped suspect. (AP)

The suit alleges Rivera and Baker pulled implicit a motorist suspected of having a weapon, prompting a ft pursuit that ended extracurricular an flat building. Baker kicked successful the doorway and fired his limb astatine the fishy but struck Rivera successful the backmost instead.

Family lawyer Antonio Romanucci said Baker past fled to different level alternatively than telephone for assistance oregon supply immoderate archetypal aid. 

"He did not effort adjacent the astir basal archetypal assistance measurement of applying unit connected her wound… Baker near Krystal determination connected the floor, virtually gasping. Krystal radioed successful her ain shooting," Romanucci said.

The suit besides accuses the section of filing misleading reports to authorities regulators that suggested the shots came from a barricaded fishy alternatively than from Baker.

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Romanucci said Baker had 11 misconduct complaints successful 3 years, placing him among the tiny percent of officers with the worst disciplinary records. In 1 2022 incident, Baker allegedly brandished a weapon astatine an ex-girlfriend wrong a tavern — a lawsuit reviewed by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which has not issued a ceremonial determination.

Krystal Rivera had told supervisors she was acrophobic astir her information with Carlos Baker arsenic her spouse and had ended a two-year on-again, off-again romanticist narration with him soon earlier the shooting. (Chicago Police Department)

Rivera joined CPD successful 2021 and was paired with Baker successful aboriginal 2023. The 2 began a romanticist narration that summer, but Rivera aboriginal asked for a caller spouse implicit what the suit describes arsenic Baker’s "prior reckless conduct." Though the petition was granted, the 2 were reassigned unneurotic past twelvemonth aft Rivera transferred into a tactical team.

According to the complaint, Rivera ended the narration for bully past wintertime aft discovering Baker had a live-in girlfriend. She told colleagues she feared Baker’s "negative and hostile reaction" and said helium continued showing up uninvited astatine her location arsenic precocious arsenic June 4 — 1 time earlier the shooting.

The suit claims the constabulary section knew that Carlos Baker was reckless and posed a threat. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Romanucci argued Baker should ne'er person remained successful uniform. "He ne'er should person gotten past his probationary period. He was not acceptable to constabulary our communities, fto unsocial transportation a weapon nether the colour of law," helium said. "The determination CPD made to support Carlos Baker connected the unit was not costly. It was fatal."

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The Cook County State’s Attorney antecedently declined to prosecute Baker, but Rivera’s household hopes caller accusation uncovered during the suit volition pb prosecutors to reconsider.

Rivera, described by colleagues arsenic a dedicated mentor and rising officer, was successful her 4th twelvemonth with the department.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.