Chilling police body camera footage has emerged from an incident where a Chicago police officer accidentally shot and killed his partner during a pursuit, then waited nearly two minutes before checking on her. This unsettling video was released by the city’s Office of Civilian Police Accountability.
The footage captures Officer Carlos Baker fatally shooting Officer Cristal Rivera in an apartment building last year as she was running for cover, leaving her unconscious and bleeding on the floor.
On June 5, 2025, around 9:50 p.m., Baker and Rivera entered a Chatham apartment, pursuing an armed suspect up the stairs.
As seen in the footage, Baker kicked open the door ahead of Rivera but was confronted by a man brandishing what looked like a rifle. In a chaotic moment, he stumbled and fired from a position behind, inadvertently hitting Rivera.
Baker then quickly fled down the stairs, frantically relaying over the radio that shots had been fired, and shouted “Crystal, that’s good” about 20 seconds later, though he received no reply.
After briefly descending the stairs, he called in that his partner was shot and requested an ambulance, then retreated again, contacting SWAT.
About a minute and a half later, he returned and dragged Rivera’s lifeless body to the lobby, where rescue teams awaited.
Rivera, 36 and a department member for four years, succumbed to her injuries at the hospital less than an hour later. Her death was declared a homicide, as an autopsy revealed she had been shot in the back, though police categorized it as an accidental homicide.
Authorities stated that Baker was the only officer to discharge his weapon during the incident.
The family of the victim filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the police department in December, alleging that Baker was struggling with his personal relationship with Rivera at the time of the incident.
They also contended that he was unfit for duty and should have been dismissed prior to the shooting.
Baker, who faces over a dozen misconduct charges, claimed to investigators that he and Rivera were only “best friends” and emphasized that he would “never” intentionally harm her, expressing that he would even “die for her.”
Meanwhile, the leader of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police supported Baker’s actions following the video’s release.
Conversely, Rivera’s family criticized Baker, stating he “left her to die.” They reiterated that he was unqualified to be an officer and that the department’s decision to arm him put Rivera at risk.
“After he shot Crystal, he failed in his duty to provide her with life-saving treatment,” their attorney remarked. “It’s evident from the video and its public portrayal that Crystal deserves more accountability from CPD.”
An investigation into this tragic shooting is still ongoing.
