Latest news with #BellaMedina
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Chicago police officer 'accidentally' kills his partner while chasing suspect down hallway
A Chicago police officer was unintentionally shot and killed by her partner after they chased a suspect into an apartment building and encountered another person with a rifle. Officer Krystal Rivera, 36, a four-year veteran of the department, was gunned down just before 10pm on Thursday as she and fellow tactical officers from the Gresham District chased a suspect, believed to be armed, into a residential building. The foot pursuit took cops through a narrow hallway in a South Side apartment when in the chaos, Rivera's fellow officer fired, striking her in the back, mortally wounding her. Her partner, who has not been identified, was the only person who fired a weapon, and the 'gunfire unintentionally struck Officer Rivera,' city police said in a statement. Rivera died at a hospital late on Thursday night, less than an hour after being shot. She is survived by her 10-year-old daughter, Bella Medina. Colleagues brought Rivera to University of Chicago Medical Center in a squad car that crashed and caught fire because of a malfunction, according to Police Superintendent Larry Snelling. She was then transported in another squad car. Snelling called Rivera 'a hero' and 'a vibrant, young officer trying to keep the streets safe.' 'She had already taken two guns off the street earlier that same day,' Snelling said. 'She came to work to protect this city, and she paid the ultimate price.' Snelling confirmed that the officer who discharged the fatal round is not under criminal investigation, but is 'in a very, very tough place.' The trauma, he said, is 'unimaginable.' The officer who fired the shot has not been named, but sources confirmed he is a veteran of the force and is receiving departmental support while the investigation continues. 'We're always reviewing our practices,' Snelling said. 'But it's too early to say if this tragic incident will lead to policy changes.' 'Rivera represented everything we want our police officers to be,' said the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation in a statement. 'Smart, assertive, tough, compassionate and professional.' has approached Chicago Police Department for comment. The city's law enforcement community is still trying to process the loss. 'The entire city of Chicago is grieving and mourning together,' said Mayor Brandon Johnson. 'Officer Rivera served honorably and courageously. Her young, energetic, and bold approach toward keeping us safe is the memory we will honor.' Three firearms were recovered at the scene. Several individuals were detained. One suspect from the scene, Adrian Rucker, 25, remains in custody, though police have not said what charges he could face. The case is under internal investigation, and no criminal charges have been filed related to the shooting itself. Rivera's mother, Yolanda Rivera, told the Chicago Sun-Times that her daughter had long dreamed of being a police officer since she was young. She remembers her daughter calling herself 'Wonder Woman' and setting her sights on the badge as a little girl. She wasn't a straight shot into the academy and actually failed a section of the test at first, but she didn't give up. 'I told her just weeks ago to get a desk job,' Yolanda recalled. 'She kept saying, "Mom, I'm gonna be OK."' Rivera earned a reputation within the Gresham District as a tough but compassionate cop. 'For me, it's a privilege,' Rivera told the Sun-Times when she graduated from the academy in 2021. 'I come from a family of serving. To help people in need, that's my calling.' For Rivera's family, no policy or reform will fill the void she's left behind, particularly her young daughter. Her 11th birthday party was just days away and her mother had been helping plan every detail. That morning, Bella said her mother hugged her a little longer than usual. 'When she said bye, it's like she had a feeling,' Bella said. 'She gave me the biggest hug, biggest kiss and she said, "If anything happens, I'm always right here," in my heart.' It was the last time Bella would ever see her mother alive. 'She never got to wear those boots she was so excited about,' Bella said. 'She found them at Ross. She loved fashion and her job.' On rainy days the pair would movies and colored together. Rivera, a single mother, loved action flicks and Jim Carrey comedies. She dreamed of one day living on a farm in neighboring Wisconsin. 'I want to go home with her,' Bella said. 'I don't want my whole life to change.' The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation has pledged to provide financial and emotional support to Rivera's family. Police say Rivera's death marks the eighth on-duty CPD shooting death since 2018.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Chicago cop shot and killed by fellow officer in friendly fire incident during tactical operation
A Chicago police officer was accidentally shot and killed by a fellow officer while pursuing a suspect on the city's south side. Krystal Rivera, a 36-year-old single mother who had spent four years on the force, was rushed to the hospital in a squad car after taking a gunshot wound to the back. The vehicle she was traveling in bizarrely crashed and caught on fire, and she had to be transferred into another vehicle to complete the journey. The incident occurred at around 9:50 p.m. Thursday while Rivera and the Gresham (6th) District tactical team tried to conduct an investigatory stop on a person believed to have a weapon. Her death was later ruled a homicide. Rivera's daughter, Bella Medina, 10, told The Chicago Sun-Times that her mother hugged her tighter than usual when she left for work on Thursday morning. 'When she said bye, it's like she had a feeling. She gave me the biggest hug, biggest kiss, and she said, 'If anything happens, I'm always right here,' in my heart.' Rivera's sister described Medina as her life. Bella's 11th birthday party was scheduled to take place this weekend. 'As released in yesterday's preliminary statement, an officer discharged his weapon during the encounter with an armed offender,' a CPD statement read on Friday. 'Further investigation revealed the only weapon discharged during this incident was the weapon of the officer, whose gunfire unintentionally struck Officer Rivera.' At a press briefing early on Friday morning, Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters that Rivera and another officer had been following the suspect on foot and had chased him into a building. Inside, the officers encountered the suspect armed with a rifle. During the confrontation, another Chicago police officer fired shots, hitting Rivera. Several suspects are now in custody, according to Snelling. Snelling described Rivera as 'young, vibrant, and a hard worker,' highlighting that she had confiscated and processed two guns that day prior to the incident. "She did great work, and if you talk to anyone on her team, they will tell you how great of a worker she was," he said. "This is the risk that our officers take every single day." Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also spoke at the briefing, saying, 'The entire city of Chicago is grieving and mourning together over this tragic loss.' 'This young woman served honorably and courageously,' he said. 'I'm calling on the entire city of Chicago to keep this officer's family in your prayers, along with our entire police department. Her young, energetic, and bold approach towards keeping us safe is the memory that we will honor, and I will assure that our police department has everything that it needs in order to render justice.' Her 10-year-old daughter survives Rivera. Pastor Donovan Price told ABC Chicago that he prayed with Rivera's fellow officers during roll call after her death. 'It reminds me of a typical family when they found out something terrible happened. They're crying, emotional. With these officers, a lot of them are young. You can look in their eyes that it could have almost been them.' Friends told the network that Rivera dreamed of being a police officer since she was a teenager,
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Chicago cop shot and killed by fellow officer in friendly fire incident during tactical operation
A Chicago police officer was accidentally shot and killed by a fellow officer while pursuing a suspect on the city's south side. Krystal Rivera, a 36-year-old single mother who had spent four years on the force, was rushed to the hospital in a squad car after taking a gunshot wound to the back. The vehicle she was traveling in bizarrely crashed and caught on fire, and she had to be transferred into another vehicle to complete the journey. The incident occurred at around 9:50 p.m. Thursday while Rivera and the Gresham (6th) District tactical team tried to conduct an investigatory stop on a person believed to have a weapon. Her death was later ruled a homicide. Rivera's daughter, Bella Medina, 10, told The Chicago Sun-Times that her mother hugged her tighter than usual when she left for work on Thursday morning. 'When she said bye, it's like she had a feeling. She gave me the biggest hug, biggest kiss, and she said, 'If anything happens, I'm always right here,' in my heart.' Rivera's sister described Medina as her life. Bella's 11th birthday party was scheduled to take place this weekend. 'As released in yesterday's preliminary statement, an officer discharged his weapon during the encounter with an armed offender,' a CPD statement read on Friday. 'Further investigation revealed the only weapon discharged during this incident was the weapon of the officer, whose gunfire unintentionally struck Officer Rivera.' At a press briefing early on Friday morning, Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters that Rivera and another officer had been following the suspect on foot and had chased him into a building. Inside, the officers encountered the suspect armed with a rifle. During the confrontation, another Chicago police officer fired shots, hitting Rivera. Several suspects are now in custody, according to Snelling. Snelling described Rivera as 'young, vibrant, and a hard worker,' highlighting that she had confiscated and processed two guns that day prior to the incident. "She did great work, and if you talk to anyone on her team, they will tell you how great of a worker she was," he said. "This is the risk that our officers take every single day." Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also spoke at the briefing, saying, 'The entire city of Chicago is grieving and mourning together over this tragic loss.' 'This young woman served honorably and courageously,' he said. 'I'm calling on the entire city of Chicago to keep this officer's family in your prayers, along with our entire police department. Her young, energetic, and bold approach towards keeping us safe is the memory that we will honor, and I will assure that our police department has everything that it needs in order to render justice.' Her 10-year-old daughter survives Rivera. Pastor Donovan Price told ABC Chicago that he prayed with Rivera's fellow officers during roll call after her death. 'It reminds me of a typical family when they found out something terrible happened. They're crying, emotional. With these officers, a lot of them are young. You can look in their eyes that it could have almost been them.'
