Latest news with #Snelling
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Chicago police officer fatally shot in Chatham neighborhood was struck in back, according to medical examiner
Earlier in what would be her final shift, Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera took two guns off the street, authorities said, only to come face-to-face with a rifle later that night. Rivera, 36, a four-year veteran with a young daughter who lived in the Irving Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side, was killed after the Gresham (6th) District tactical team she was part of tried to conduct an investigatory stop on a person believed to have a weapon about 9:50 p.m. Thursday in the 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue. The first Chicago police officer to be killed in the line of duty this year, Rivera was mourned by city officials and her fellow officers, who praised her work ethic and asked Chicagoans to keep her family in their prayers. 'Our officer was young, vibrant and a hard worker,' police Superintendent Larry Snelling said, speaking from the University of Chicago Medical Center early Friday. 'She was a working police officer trying to keep the streets safe.' Flanked by department brass, Mayor Brandon Johnson and other city and state officials, Snelling gave some details about the shooting, but did not offer a full picture of exactly how the shooting unfolded. In response to a reporter's question about the gunfire, Snelling said investigators were waiting on a warrant to search the apartment where the shooting happened. 'Here's the deal: We won't know that until the search warrant is served and we are able to go through that apartment and collect more evidence. The evidence that we collect usually … gives a story of what occurred in there,' Snelling said. 'So until we have all of that information we can't rely on just one source at this time.' An autopsy found that Rivera was shot in the back. A CPD spokesperson declined to comment on the autopsy results — or further elaborate on the circumstances of the shooting and whether it could even have been friendly fire — saying the investigation is ongoing, and referring to Snelling's comments from Thursday night. It was not clear Friday afternoon whether the suspects fired a weapon. This is what Snelling did relay about the shooting, though, in a news conference that took place hours after the event. The officers first tried to stop someone thought to be armed when the individual ran into an apartment, and the officers followed, he said. There, Snelling said, the team encountered a second person armed with a rifle. One of the officers fired a gun 'at some point' during the confrontation, he said, and another officer was shot, later succumbing to her injuries at University of Chicago Medical Center. 'When the officers followed into that location they were then confronted by a second person who was in that apartment who was armed with a rifle pointed at the officers,' Snelling said. 'At some point the officer discharged the weapon. Our officer was struck. She was then transported by assisting units to the hospital here where she later succumbed to her wounds.' The two people in the apartment ran away and were arrested shortly afterward, Snelling said, though he said officials had 'several' people in custody in connection with the shooting. The department did not specify exactly how many people were in custody as of Friday afternoon. A third officer hurt his wrist and was listed in fair condition, according to a police statement. Investigators recovered three weapons at the scene and were still reviewing body-worn camera footage, Snelling said, and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability was investigating the shooting. After the shooting, police officers took their wounded colleague to the hospital in a squad car, which crashed and caught fire on the way there because of what Snelling described as a malfunction with the vehicle. Another squad car finished the trip, he said, and the officers in the first car were 'doing fine.' 'The way that she worked, it was evident that she did love her job,' Snelling said. 'She wanted to make Chicago a better place.' Rivera's mother, reached by phone, declined to comment. In a statement posted to social media, the mayor asked Chicagoans to keep Rivera's family in their prayers, especially her young daughter who will 'who will miss her mom for the rest of her life.' Rivera had an 'unmatched work ethic,' Johnson said. 'Officer Rivera was a hero who served on the force for four years. She had a long career in front of her. A bright future was stolen from her family and from her loved ones,' he said in the statement. The last Chicago officer to suffer fatal injuries on the job was Enrique Martinez, 26. Martinez, who was also assigned to the same Gresham District as Rivera, was fatally shot in November in the 8200 block of South Ingleside Avenue— just one street east of where Rivera was killed Thursday. Outside the hospital early Friday, squad cars lined Cottage Grove Avenue for blocks in every direction. A peer support officer walked people, some of them in tears, in and out of the ambulance bay as others in uniform exchanged hugs in the street. In Chatham, the crime scene spanned multiple blocks as law enforcement agencies fanned out in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Cook County sheriff's deputies walked up and down Maryland Avenue near East 83rd Street with rifles and canine units while tactical teams searched nearby alleys with flashlights. As squad cars lined the streets for several blocks in every direction, a police helicopter circled the area, beaming a searchlight. Residents walked their dogs and filmed the scene on their phones, protesting when officers asked them to back up to Cottage Grove so they could expand the crime scene. Officers appeared to zero in on an alley on the west side of Ingleside. A resident leaned out the window of a courtyard building across the street and asked if they needed to get in. Detectives begin combing the front yard with flashlights. Just before noon Friday, a two-man crew arrived at the Gresham District station to affix purple and black bunting on the building's facade, in keeping with CPD tradition after an officer is killed on the job. This is a developing story.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Chicago police officer fatally shot in Chatham neighborhood was struck in back: autopsy
Earlier in what would be her final shift, Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera took two guns off the street, authorities said, only to come face-to-face with a rifle later that night. Rivera, 36, a four-year veteran with a young daughter who lived in the Irving Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side, was killed after the Gresham (6th) District tactical team she was part of tried to conduct an investigatory stop on a person believed to have a weapon about 9:50 p.m. on Thursday in the 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue. The first Chicago police officer to be killed in the line of duty this year, Rivera was mourned by city officials and her fellow officers, who praised her work ethic and asked Chicagoans to keep her family in their prayers. 'Our officer was young, vibrant and a hard worker,' police Superintendent Larry Snelling said, speaking from the University of Chicago Medical Center early Friday morning. 'She was a working police officer trying to keep the streets safe.' Flanked by department brass, Mayor Brandon Johnson and other city and state officials, Snelling gave some details about the shooting, but did not offer a full picture of exactly how the shooting unfolded. In response to a reporter's question about the gunfire, Snelling said investigators were waiting on a warrant to search the apartment where the shooting happened. 'Here's the deal: We won't know that until the search warrant is served and we are able to go through that apartment and collect more evidence. The evidence that we collect usually … gives a story of what occurred in there,' Snelling said. 'So until we have all of that information we can't rely on just one source at this time.' An autopsy found that Rivera was shot in the back. A CPD spokesperson declined to comment on the autopsy results — or further elaborate on the circumstances of the shooting and whether it could even have been friendly fire — saying the investigation is ongoing, and referring to Snelling's comments from last night. It was not clear on Friday afternoon whether the suspects fired a weapon. This is what Snelling did relay about the shooting, though, in a press conference that took place hours after the event. The officers first tried to stop someone thought to be armed when the individual ran into an apartment, and the officers followed, he said. There, Snelling said, the team encountered a second person armed with a rifle. One of the officers fired a gun 'at some point' during the confrontation, he said, and another officer was shot, later succumbing to her injuries at University of Chicago Medical Center. 'When the officers followed into that location they were then confronted by a second person who was in that apartment who was armed with a rifle pointed at the officers,' snelling said. 'At some point the officer discharged the weapon. Our officer was struck. She was then transported by assisting units to the hospital here where she later succumbed to her wounds.' The two people in the apartment ran away and were arrested shortly afterward, Snelling said, though he said officials had 'several' people in custody in connection with the shooting. The department did not specify exactly how many people were in custody as of Friday afternoon. A third officer hurt his wrist and was listed in fair condition, according to a CPD statement. Investigators recovered three weapons at the scene and were still reviewing body-worn camera footage, Snelling said, and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability was investigating the shooting. After the shooting, police officers took their wounded colleague to the hospital in a squad car, which crashed and caught fire on the way there because of what Snelling described as a malfunction with the vehicle. Another squad car finished the trip, he said, and the officers in the first car were 'doing fine.' 'The way that she worked, it was evident that she did love her job,' Snelling said. 'She wanted to make Chicago a better place.' Rivera's mother, reached for comment by phone, declined to comment. In a statement posted to social media, Mayor Brandon Johnson asked Chicagoans to keep Rivera's family in their prayers, especially her young daughter who will 'who will miss her mom for the rest of her life.' Rivera had an 'unmatched work ethic,' Johnson said. 'Officer Rivera was a hero who served on the force for four years. She had a long career in front of her. A bright future was stolen from her family and from her loved ones,' he said in the statement. The last Chicago officer to suffer fatal injuries on the job was Enrique Martinez, 26. Martinez, who was also assigned to the same Gresham District as Rivera, was fatally shot in November in the 8200 block of South Ingleside — just one street east of where Rivera was killed Thursday. Outside the hospital early Friday morning, squad cars lined Cottage Grove Avenue for blocks in every direction. A peer support officer walked people, some of them in tears, in and out of the ambulance bay as others in uniform exchanged hugs in the street. In Chatham, the crime scene spanned multiple blocks as law enforcement agencies fanned out in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Cook County sheriff's deputies walked up and down Maryland Avenue near East 83rd Street with rifles and canine units while tactical teams searched nearby alleys with flashlights. As squad cars lined the streets for several blocks in every direction, a police helicopter circled the area, beaming a searchlight. Residents walked their dogs and filmed the scene on their phones, protesting when officers asked them to back up to Cottage Grove so they could expand the crime scene. Officers appeared to zero in on an alley on the west side of South Ingleside Avenue. A resident leaned out the window of a courtyard building across the street and asked if they needed to get in. Detectives begin combing the front yard with flashlights. Just before noon Friday, a two-man crew arrived at CPD's Gresham District station to affix purple and black bunting on the building's facade, in keeping with CPD tradition after an officer is killed on the job. This is a developing story.
Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago police officer fatally shot in Chatham neighborhood was struck in back: autopsy
Earlier in what would be her final shift, Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera took two guns off the street, authorities said, only to come face-to-face with a rifle later that night. Rivera, 36, a four-year veteran with a young daughter who lived in the Irving Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side, was killed after the Gresham (6th) District tactical team she was part of tried to conduct an investigatory stop on a person believed to have a weapon about 9:50 p.m. on Thursday in the 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue. The first Chicago police officer to be killed in the line of duty this year, Rivera was mourned by city officials and her fellow officers, who praised her work ethic and asked Chicagoans to keep her family in their prayers. 'Our officer was young, vibrant and a hard worker,' police Superintendent Larry Snelling said, speaking from the University of Chicago Medical Center early Friday morning. 'She was a working police officer trying to keep the streets safe.' Flanked by department brass, Mayor Brandon Johnson and other city and state officials, Snelling gave some details about the shooting, but did not offer a full picture of exactly how the shooting unfolded. In response to a reporter's question about the gunfire, Snelling said investigators were waiting on a warrant to search the apartment where the shooting happened. 'Here's the deal: We won't know that until the search warrant is served and we are able to go through that apartment and collect more evidence. The evidence that we collect usually … gives a story of what occurred in there,' Snelling said. 'So until we have all of that information we can't rely on just one source at this time.' An autopsy found that Rivera was shot in the back. A CPD spokesperson declined to comment on the autopsy results — or further elaborate on the circumstances of the shooting and whether it could even have been friendly fire — saying the investigation is ongoing, and referring to Snelling's comments from last night. It was not clear on Friday afternoon whether the suspects fired a weapon. This is what Snelling did relay about the shooting, though, in a press conference that took place hours after the event. The officers first tried to stop someone thought to be armed when the individual ran into an apartment, and the officers followed, he said. There, Snelling said, the team encountered a second person armed with a rifle. One of the officers fired a gun 'at some point' during the confrontation, he said, and another officer was shot, later succumbing to her injuries at University of Chicago Medical Center. 'When the officers followed into that location they were then confronted by a second person who was in that apartment who was armed with a rifle pointed at the officers,' snelling said. 'At some point the officer discharged the weapon. Our officer was struck. She was then transported by assisting units to the hospital here where she later succumbed to her wounds.' The two people in the apartment ran away and were arrested shortly afterward, Snelling said, though he said officials had 'several' people in custody in connection with the shooting. The department did not specify exactly how many people were in custody as of Friday afternoon. A third officer hurt his wrist and was listed in fair condition, according to a CPD statement. Investigators recovered three weapons at the scene and were still reviewing body-worn camera footage, Snelling said, and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability was investigating the shooting. After the shooting, police officers took their wounded colleague to the hospital in a squad car, which crashed and caught fire on the way there because of what Snelling described as a malfunction with the vehicle. Another squad car finished the trip, he said, and the officers in the first car were 'doing fine.' 'The way that she worked, it was evident that she did love her job,' Snelling said. 'She wanted to make Chicago a better place.' Rivera's mother, reached for comment by phone, declined to comment. In a statement posted to social media, Mayor Brandon Johnson asked Chicagoans to keep Rivera's family in their prayers, especially her young daughter who will 'who will miss her mom for the rest of her life.' Rivera had an 'unmatched work ethic,' Johnson said. 'Officer Rivera was a hero who served on the force for four years. She had a long career in front of her. A bright future was stolen from her family and from her loved ones,' he said in the statement. The last Chicago officer to suffer fatal injuries on the job was Enrique Martinez, 26. Martinez, who was also assigned to the same Gresham District as Rivera, was fatally shot in November in the 8200 block of South Ingleside — just one street east of where Rivera was killed Thursday. Outside the hospital early Friday morning, squad cars lined Cottage Grove Avenue for blocks in every direction. A peer support officer walked people, some of them in tears, in and out of the ambulance bay as others in uniform exchanged hugs in the street. In Chatham, the crime scene spanned multiple blocks as law enforcement agencies fanned out in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Cook County sheriff's deputies walked up and down Maryland Avenue near East 83rd Street with rifles and canine units while tactical teams searched nearby alleys with flashlights. As squad cars lined the streets for several blocks in every direction, a police helicopter circled the area, beaming a searchlight. Residents walked their dogs and filmed the scene on their phones, protesting when officers asked them to back up to Cottage Grove so they could expand the crime scene. Officers appeared to zero in on an alley on the west side of South Ingleside Avenue. A resident leaned out the window of a courtyard building across the street and asked if they needed to get in. Detectives begin combing the front yard with flashlights. Just before noon Friday, a two-man crew arrived at CPD's Gresham District station to affix purple and black bunting on the building's facade, in keeping with CPD tradition after an officer is killed on the job.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Chicago police officer -- mom to young daughter -- gunned down while on duty
A 36-year-old police officer who was a mother to a young daughter and four-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department has been shot and killed while on duty in Chicago, police said. The incident occurred at approximately 9:50 p.m. on Thursday night when Chicago Police Department officers assigned to the 6th (Gresham) District Tactical Team were on patrol when they attempted to conduct an investigatory stop on a male suspect in the 8200 block of S. Drexel Avenue, according to a statement from the Chicago Police Department. MORE: US Border Patrol tactical unit deployed to help manhunt for escaped Arkansas inmate Officers approached the suspect, but the individual immediately fled on foot into a nearby building, police said. Law enforcement subsequently pursued the suspect into the building but were confronted by another individual who was armed inside of the residence which the suspect fled to, authorities continued. 'The armed offender fled the residence and was taken into custody,' police said. 'An officer sustained a gunshot wound and was taken to an area hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.' MORE: US Marshals arrest Dominican man wanted in quadruple homicide, including victims aged 2 and 4 The police officer who died has not yet been named but Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said said she was a 36-year-old female officer who had been with the department for four years at the 6th District and was a mother to a young daughter. "She lost her life tragically doing the job that she loved and that was one of the things that her mother said, she loved her job and the way that she worked, it was evident that she did love her job and she wanted to make Chicago a better place,' Snelling said during a press conference. 'She wanted to make it safer." MORE: Climber falls over 3,000 feet to his death off tallest mountain in North America MORE: 3 plane crash survivors plucked from Atlantic Ocean at night after plane goes down off Florida coast Mayor Brandon Johnson said the entire city is mourning the loss of this officer. "This young woman served honorably and courageously. I am calling on the entire city of Chicago to keep this officer's family in your prayers along with our entire police department," Mayor Johnson said. "Her young, energetic bold approach toward keeping us safe is the memory that we will honor." An additional officer sustained an injury to the wrist and was taken to the hospital in fair condition, police said, but no other injuries were reported. MORE: 61-year-old man survives being pinned down by 700-pound boulder for 3 hours in Alaska creek Three firearms were located on the scene and multiple people were taken into custody, police said. Overall, between Jan. 1 and April 30, 16 police officers in the United States have been feloniously killed in the line of duty and firearms were used in 75% of those incidents, according to statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice. The leading circumstances surrounding officers' deaths included activities related to responses to unlawful or suspicious activities, pursuits and traffic stops, according to the Justice Department. MORE: Tourists at beach house find human remains dating back 200 years Accidental law enforcement deaths, however, have decreased 68.2% when comparing the first four months of 2024 (22 deaths) with those of 2025 (7 deaths), with the leading causes of accidental deaths in 2025 being motor vehicle crashes and officers struck by vehicle. The investigation into the death of the 36-year-old officer is currently ongoing. Chicago police officer -- mom to young daughter -- gunned down while on duty originally appeared on
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chicago officials call for calm ahead of Memorial Day weekend as homicides decline
The Brief City leaders urge calm ahead of Memorial Day weekend, historically one of Chicago's most violent, as homicides are down 40 compared to last year. Officials emphasize community involvement, with Superintendent Snelling saying police can't "arrest our way out of this" and highlighting programs like basketball tournaments and violence intervention workers. Mayor Johnson defends his public safety approach, citing drops in shootings, victims, and robberies, while a proposal to reinstate emergency curfew powers remains on hold in City Council. CHICAGO - Chicago's top officials are calling for calm ahead of Memorial Day weekend — often one of the city's most violent — as homicides continue to fall and the summer season begins. What we know Homicides are down by 40 compared to this time last year, and the city is on pace to finish the year with fewer than 400 homicides for the first time in decades — if the downward trend holds through the warmer months, which typically bring a spike in violence. Mayor Brandon Johnson, Police Superintendent Larry Snelling and other officials held the city's annual pre-Memorial Day safety press conference Thursday, emphasizing that public safety depends on more than just law enforcement. "Now, to get through the summer again and make it the most peaceful summer that we can possibly have, we are going to need everyone. Everyone has to step up. We as a police department, we are not going to arrest our way out of this. And if we can avoid making arrests, that's a good day for us," Snelling said. City-led initiatives for the weekend include a basketball tournament in high-crime neighborhoods and the deployment of dozens of community violence intervention workers to work alongside police. One tool officers won't have this year is the ability to impose a snap curfew — an emergency power currently on hold in the City Council. Johnson has expressed skepticism about the measure and pointed to the drop in homicides as evidence his broader safety strategy is working. "Shootings are down. Shooting victims are down. Robberies are down. All of that is the result of collective response and responsibility. I remember the 90s when it was 900 people getting murdered every single year. I remember that. We have turned the page. We're going to build the safest, most affordable big city in America and we're going to do it together," Johnson said. Memorial Day weekend traditionally marks the unofficial start of summer and has long been associated with a surge in shootings and violent crime in the Chicago area.
