Bodycam Shows Officer Rivera's Last Moments

Chicago’s police oversight agency released body-camera footage on April 17 showing Officer Krystal Rivera being fatally shot by her partner during a June 5, 2025 chase. (chicagocopa.org) The videos show Rivera and Officer Carlos Baker chasing a man into an apartment building near 8200 South Drexel in Chatham after what prosecutors described as an investigatory stop. On the second floor, Baker turns and fires a single shot as Rivera runs behind him, according to the footage and multiple news reports. (news.wttw.com) COPA said a June 13, 2025 court order in *People v. Adrian Rucker* had blocked release of the records for months. That order was vacated on March 27, 2026, and COPA posted body-worn camera video, third-party video, radio traffic and reports the same day it announced the release. (chicagocopa.org) The footage became public after an Illinois Appellate Court panel said a Cook County judge used the wrong law to bar release of public records by a nonparty agency. The ruling came after the Chicago Sun-Times, Better Government Association, NBC Chicago and Invisible Institute founder Jamie Kalven moved to intervene. (patch.com) The new video also sharpened scrutiny of what Baker did after the shot. WTTW reported he waited about two minutes before reaching Rivera, while NBC News reported he returned to her side after 1 minute, 44 seconds. (news.wttw.com) (nbcnews.com) Rivera’s family has already sued Baker and the Chicago Police Department. The complaint, filed in December 2025, alleges Baker had 11 misconduct complaints, that Rivera had raised concerns about him, and that she should not have been paired with him that night. (patch.com) Baker’s lawyer, Timothy Grace, said Friday that Baker “did everything in his power and training” to help Rivera and said the videos show he acted within department policy. Grace also said Baker’s gun discharged unintentionally as he moved for cover from a man with a rifle inside the apartment. (news.wttw.com) Chicago police said days after the shooting that an officer had fired the fatal shot, and COPA has been investigating it as an “unintentional discharge.” NBC News reported Baker has not been charged with a crime, though he was relieved of police powers in August 2025 for reasons that outlet said were not tied to the shooting. (nbcnews.com) Rivera was 36 and a four-year veteran of the department, according to NBC News. Ten months after her death, the public record now includes the final seconds that had been sealed while the criminal case and court fight played out. (nbcnews.com)