Family of fallen officer Krystal Rivera sues Chicago police, claims warning signs about partner were ignored
A wrongful death lawsuit reveals new allegations about what led up to the death of Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera this past June, and excoriates the officer who fired the shot that killed her as "reckless" and as someone who should never have been on the force.
The lawsuit, announced by attorney Antonio Romanucci of the firm Romanucci & Blandin LLC, accuses the Chicago Police Department of ignoring warning signs about Officer Carlos Baker that turned deadly.
"The Chicago Police Department knew that Carlos Baker was a liability. The Chicago Police Department knew that Carlos Baker was unfit for duty as a Chicago police officer," Romanucci said.
The Rivera family and their attorneys said she and Baker had been dating on and off for two years, and that Rivera had broken off their relationship when she realized he'd been dating and living with another woman. They said she asked to be separated professionally from him, too. Rivera was shot and killed by her partner a few weeks later.
On June 5, police said Rivera was "unintentionally" shot and killed by Officer Baker, her partner in the field, while the two were chasing a suspect into an apartment building in the 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue in the East Chatham neighborhood.
Rivera's family has demanded full transparency and an independent investigation into her death, saying the bodycam footage they were shown raised more questions for them than answers.
"This is about truth, this is about accountability, and this is about making sure that what happened to Krystal never happens to another family," Rivera's mother said.
In August, Baker was stripped of his police powers following a separate incident, following allegations that he attacked an off-duty female officer at DSTRKT Bar and Grill in Wicker Park. CBS News Chicago reported Baker had made calls to neighboring businesses on Milwaukee Avenue after that incident, and to a CBS News Chicago reporter, looking for surveillance video of that incident.
CBS News Chicago Investigators have found at least 10 complaints filed against Baker since he was hired in 2021. They include a variety of allegations, ranging from excessive force to improper stops to unprofessional behavior.
Lawsuit claims CPD ignored warning signs
The lawsuit was filed by Rivera's mother and names both the city and Officer Baker.
"She accepted the risk that came with policing. What she never should have had to fear was her own partner," said Krystal Rivera's mother, Yolanda Rivera. "That betrayal cost Krystal's life."
Attorneys claim Officer Baker struggled to accept the end of a romantic relationship he'd had with Officer Rivera. The lawsuit said that the breakup stemmed from his infidelity, and led to tension between the two before Officer Rivera was shot.
Romanucci said Baker and Rivera entered into a romantic relationship in early 2023, and Chicago police supervisors knew about the relationship by March of that year. In May of this year, Romanucci said, Rivera ended the relationship because of Baker's infidelity.
One day in June, Baker showed up unannounced at Rivera's home, according to Romanucci. The very next day, Rivera was shot, according to Romanucci.
Attorneys said after firing and striking Rivera in the back, Baker then ran in the opposite direction without providing medical aid or calling for help.
"What could be more disturbing for a Chicago police officer to think that her partner would ever shoot her in the line of duty?" said Romanucci. "There can be nothing more shocking when that partner is actually shot, and there is nothing more mortifying than when that partner is shot, that the shooting partner leaves her there to die."
The suit claims "Baker abandoned Rivera as she bled to death in the hallway of the apartment building," and alleges Baker's failure to help Rivera was motivated by thought that Rivera could tell baker's current girlfriend about their relationship.
"He let her die," said Romanucci. "Krystal made a desperate attempt to call in the shooting. You know why? Because not only did he make the intentional decision to not render aid to her — incredibly, he didn't call for an ambulance. In fact, his cover-up began after he shot her. Immediately, he claimed that shots were fired at police, when the only shot that was fired that night was from his gun."
Romanucci said immediately after the shooting, the Chicago Police Department filed a report for the Illinois Department of Labor claiming that Rivera had been shot by an armed suspect or a barricaded person, rather than her own partner.
Attorneys went on to say Rivera warned her supervisors before her death that she no longer wanted to work with Baker, and felt he could be a threat to her safety.
Attorneys also highlighted Baker's murky disciplinary history with the department, which includes suspensions, complaints about reckless behavior, and an allegation involving another woman.
Specifically, Romanucci also claimed that Baker flashed a gun at a prior romantic partner he'd been speaking to on Instagram. when she was on a date in December 2022, before he started dating Rivera.
"Unfortunately, that case, not only was it never prosecuted, the investigation was dropped three months after it started, and COPA let it go," Romanucci said.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability closed that case because the witness was uncooperative.
The Chicago Police Department previously called Rivera's shooting death a tragic incident and has yet to comment on the lawsuit. Baker remains on the CPD payoll, but has been stripped of his police powers, meaning he cannot carry a weapon or make arrests.
Baker's attorney, Tim Grace, said in a statement that the Rivera family's pain "is understandable but unfortunately misdirected."
"The facts are clear that Officer Baker breached the door on that fateful night and was facing the lethal end of a rifle. While moving to seek cover and unbeknownst to him, his weapon unintentionally discharged striking Krystal," Grace said. "The true facts will reveal, that Carlos immediately called for EMS, carried Krystal to safety, and ensured she was being transported to the hospital. He then reentered the apartment to apprehend the offenders. The body worn camera videos will support these facts and challenge the accuracy and veracity of the allegations made in the complaint. Officer Baker will not be intimidated and will defend his actions that night."