Police Officer, 36, Killed by Her Partner in Friendly Fire Shooting: 'She Lost Her Life Tragically Doing the Job She Loved'

A Chicago police officer was fatally shot by another officer while they were pursuing a suspect earlier this week.

According to a statement from the Chicago Police Department (CPD), an officer, identified by local media outlets as 36-year-old Krystal Rivera, and her partner were on patrol in the city’s Chatham neighborhood just before 10 p.m. local time on Thursday, June 5, when they attempted to stop a man who then fled on foot into a nearby home.

As they pursued the man, Rivera and her partner — who has not been publicly identified — were confronted by another suspect who was armed with a rifle, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling told ABC 7 Chicago, WTTW and the Chicago Sun-Times.

“The officers followed,” Snelling said, per ABC7. “They were met in that apartment by a second person with a rifle pointed at the officers. At some point, an officer discharged a weapon. An officer was struck; she was then transported to the hospital, where she later succumbed to her wounds.”

ABC 7 also reported that as a police squad car was driving Rivera to the hospital, the car crashed, and officers had to wait for another vehicle to come and take her the rest of the way.

“There was some type of malfunction in that vehicle that caught fire,” Snelling told the Sun-Times. “But assisting officers came in and she was transferred to another vehicle and then driven to the hospital.”

According to the Sun-Times, the officer was the only person who fired a weapon, and the “gunfire unintentionally struck Officer Rivera,” police said.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed on June 6 that Rivera died from a gunshot wound to her back, and her death was declared a homicide, the outlets reported.

Police told the outlets that the second suspect, who was allegedly armed, as well as the initial suspect, were taken into custody, and another officer sustained a wrist injury during the altercation.

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According to the CPD, Rivera was a single mother to a 10-year-old daughter, and she had graduated from the police academy in 2021.

“She was protecting lives and she was a hero and she lost her life tragically doing the job she loved,” Snelling said. “She wanted to make Chicago a better place, she wanted to make it safer, and we thank her for that.”

Speaking to the Sun-Times, Rivera’s mother Yolanda and daughter Bella reflected on her life and shared that she was a kind person who cared deeply about her work.

“When she said bye, it’s like she had a feeling,” the 10-year-old told the outlet. “She gave me the biggest hug, biggest kiss, and she said, ‘If anything happens, I’m always right here,’ in my heart.”

“If you want to think of a good person, a great person, as an example you’ll think of her,” she added.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is also investigating the incident, police said in their statement. ABC 7 reported that no charges have been filed.

According to the Sun-Times, Snelling told reporters on June 7 that the investigation is still ongoing and that the department is “always” reviewing its training and supervision policies.

“Until we’ve had the opportunity to really sit down and work these things out, gathering all the information, it will be at that time that we determine what needs to be done to move forward,” he said.

“Tonight the entire city of Chicago is grieving and mourning together over this tragic loss of one of Chicago’s finest,” Mayor Brandon Johnson added of the incident, per WTTW. “Her young, energetic and bold approach toward keeping us safe is the memory we will honor.”