* ABC 7…

A Chicago law firm announced a wrongful death lawsuit Thursday in the shooting of Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera earlier this year.

Rivera was killed in a friendly fire incident on June 5. She was shot by her partner, Officer Carlos Baker.

“Friendly fire”?

* Check out the lawsuit…

Any police officer shot in the line of duty has one expectation: that they can immediately count on their fellow officer to come to their aid. Chicago Police Officer KRYSTAL RIVERA should have been able to rely on her partner to do just that when she was shot, but—against all decency—her partner not only shot her but then ran in an opposite direction and left her to die. […]

RIVERA’s death was not instantaneous. Indeed, she lay bleeding and was breathing and desperately called in her own shooting to dispatch while Defendant BAKER stood by, failing to provide any form of medical care, aid, or assistance, as is required by Chicago Police Department (“CPD”) policy and training. Defendant BAKER failed to apply pressure to stop the bleeding or take any basic first aid measures to try to save RIVERA’s life, as taught in CPD policy and training. He never called for an ambulance. He failed to promptly notify dispatch of the shooting; he failed to disclose that he was the person who discharged his weapon, blaming it instead on a third party when he was the only one who discharged a weapon at the scene; and he failed to properly identify the location of the shooting so that paramedics or other officers could quickly come to her rescue.

Wow.

* WTTW…

Antonio Romanucci, an attorney for the Rivera family, said that Rivera and Baker became involved in an on-again, off-again romantic relationship dating back to 2023, which was known to other CPD employees.

Rivera eventually broke that relationship off this year after learning Baker was involved with another woman, attorneys said Thursday, and threatened to inform the other woman of their relationship.

Attorney Maura White said Rivera expressed concerns about Baker’s “adverse reaction” to the breakup and his continued attempts to contact her outside of work. Less than 48 hours before she was shot, Baker showed up at Rivera’s home uninvited after she told him not to come, White said.

* Back to the lawsuit…

This tragedy was not only the foreseeable result of Defendant BAKER’s willful and wanton conduct, but also the foreseeable consequence of the Defendant CITY OF CHICAGO’s (“THE CITY”) own negligence. THE CITY, through the Chicago Police Department, chose to continue to employ BAKER and keep him partnered with RIVERA, even after it knew (or, at a minimum, should have known) that BAKER had a lengthy record of misconduct, including complaints for domestic violence, an improper search and seizure, neglect of duties, insubordination, inadequate/failure to provide service, and conduct unbecoming of an officer.

In particular, THE CITY also knew or should have known—based on a prior complaint against BAKER from a woman who he was dating—that BAKER posed a particular risk of harm to women with whom he has, or has had, a dating relationship. At the time of her death, that included RIVERA, who had recently ended a romantic relationship with BAKER. At least two of BAKER’s CPD supervisors were aware of RIVERA and Defendant BAKER’s romantic relationship, and the risk to RIVERA’s safety. One or more members of CPD knew that BAKER and RIVERA’s relationship had ended, knew that RIVERA believed BAKER was a threat to her personal safety, and knew that RIVERA was eager to be transferred to a different CPD district away from BAKER or be reassigned to a different partner. Despite this knowledge, CPD chose to retain BAKER as a CPD officer and maintain his and RIVERA’s assignment as partners. In doing so, CPD exposed RIVERA to the foreseeable risk that BAKER would fail to provide aid or medical care to RIVERA in the event she needed it. And that is exactly what happened. BAKER left RIVERA suffering from mortal injuries, instead of coming to her aid or even calling for help.

Emphasis added.

Go read the rest.