The family of a Chicago police officer who was tragically killed by her partner during a chase earlier this year has initiated a wrongful death lawsuit. They argue that the department neglected obvious warning signs indicating the officer was at risk from her partner.

The lawsuit, brought by Officer Krystal Rivera’s mother, asserts that the Chicago Police Department was well aware of Officer Carlos Baker’s past reckless conduct and violent behavior, yet still allowed him to partner with Rivera. Rivera, aged 36, lost her life on June 5 during an attempt to capture an armed suspect alongside Baker.

The legal complaint details how Rivera had consistently voiced her concerns to her supervisors regarding Baker’s conduct and had ended their two-year intermittent romantic relationship just before the incident. The lawsuit also highlights the department’s knowledge of several complaints about Baker, including one from a previous girlfriend who alleged he had threatened her with a firearm in a bar.

Yolanda, Rivera’s mother, expressed that her daughter should never have felt threatened by her own partner. She stated, “Krystal was fully aware of the inherent risks of her profession and embraced those challenges. However, fearing her own partner was something she should never have faced. That sense of treachery ultimately led to Krystal’s demise.”

On June 5, Krystal Rivera, aged 36, was fatally shot by Officer Carlos Baker during their attempt to detain an armed suspect. (AP)

The lawsuit alleges Rivera and Baker pulled over a motorist suspected of having a weapon, prompting a foot chase that ended outside an apartment building. Baker kicked in the door and fired his weapon at the suspect but struck Rivera in the back instead.

Family attorney Antonio Romanucci said Baker then fled to another floor rather than call for help or provide any first aid. 

“He did not attempt even the most basic first aid step of applying pressure on her wound… Baker left Krystal there on the floor, literally gasping. Krystal radioed in her own shooting,” Romanucci said.

The lawsuit also accuses the department of filing misleading reports to state regulators that suggested the shots came from a barricaded suspect rather than from Baker.

Romanucci said Baker had 11 misconduct complaints in three years, placing him among the small percentage of officers with the worst disciplinary records. In one 2022 incident, Baker allegedly brandished a gun at an ex-girlfriend inside a tavern — a case reviewed by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which has not issued a formal determination.

Krystal Rivera had told supervisors she was concerned about her safety with Carlos Baker as her partner and had ended a two-year on-again, off-again romantic relationship with him shortly before the shooting. (Chicago Police Department)

Rivera joined CPD in 2021 and was paired with Baker in early 2023. The two began a romantic relationship that summer, but Rivera later asked for a new partner over what the lawsuit describes as Baker’s “prior reckless conduct.” Though the request was granted, the two were reassigned together last year after Rivera transferred into a tactical team.

According to the complaint, Rivera ended the relationship for good last winter after discovering Baker had a live-in girlfriend. She told colleagues she feared Baker’s “negative and hostile reaction” and said he continued showing up uninvited at her home as late as June 4 — one day before the shooting.

The lawsuit claims the police department knew that Carlos Baker was reckless and posed a threat. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Romanucci argued Baker should never have remained in uniform. “He never should have gotten past his probationary period. He was not fit to police our communities, let alone carry a gun under the color of law,” he said. “The decision CPD made to keep Carlos Baker on the force was not costly. It was fatal.”

The Cook County State’s Attorney previously declined to prosecute Baker, but Rivera’s family hopes new information uncovered during the lawsuit will lead prosecutors to reconsider.

Rivera, described by colleagues as a dedicated mentor and rising officer, was in her fourth year with the department.