Chicago police bodycam footage dropped Thursday, showing Officer Carlos Baker firing the shot that killed his partner, Officer Krystal Rivera, during a foot pursuit last June. The video, released by Civilian Office of Police Accountability on April 17, 2026, captures the chaotic moment inside a South Side apartment building and has reignited questions about what really happened between the two officers.
Around 9:50 p.m., on June 5, 2025, Officers Baker and Rivera attempted to stop a suspect after making a stop for investigative purposes in Chatham, Chicago, located at 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue. When the male suspect managed to flee inside a nearby building, both officers pursued him.
In the hallway and stairway, Officer Baker smashed in the apartment door. The other armed suspect came out and threatened with a rifle. Officer Baker discharged his gun once. As a result, Rivera was shot in the back by his partner. At the age of 36, he succumbed to his wounds.
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The three minute and twenty-one seconds-long footage that the officer wore shows that it all happened very quickly in the hallway as Rivera followed Baker. In response to Baker’s gunshots, a woman screams in terror.
Baker runs upstairs, takes cover, and waits nearly 90 to 120 seconds before coming back down. He steps over her body at first, then drags her down the stairs while saying,
“Stay with me” and “Come on Krys.”
He initially tells dispatch that “someone else” shot her. The footage also shows a visible shell casing and the armed suspect inside the apartment.
Baker and Rivera had been in a secret on-and-off romantic relationship for about two years. Rivera ended it shortly before the shooting after learning Baker lived with another woman. She requested a new partner, citing safety concerns. Her family’s wrongful death lawsuit, filed in December 2025, states she
“threatened to inform his live-in girlfriend” and “formally expressed concerns about being partnered with him after the breakup.”
Baker had a documented history of misconduct complaints, including alleged domestic issues and reckless conduct. CPD had rejected his move to an elite unit before approving it in early 2025. This was Chicago’s first fatal officer-on-officer shooting in nearly 40 years.
Baker remains on administrative duty with no police powers and no criminal charges filed. COPA’s investigation is ongoing. Rivera’s family lawsuit against Baker and the City of Chicago is active in Cook County court. Baker’s attorney, Tim Grace, said his client “acted per training,” called for EMS immediately, and
“expressed remorse, calling Rivera a ‘best friend’ he would ‘die for.’”
Why did CPD keep the pair partnered after Rivera’s reassignment request? Was the 90-second delay a reasonable tactical choice or a failure to render aid? And did supervisors ignore red flags about Baker’s record?
This case highlights the tough balance U.S. police departments face on officer accountability and internal relationships. Transparency from COPA helps, but full answers will come only from the completed investigation and the courts. The footage is out now the system has to deliver clarity.
