Krystal Rivera Obituary, Death – A Chicago police officer was shot and killed on Thursday night in Chatham. The officer has been identified as 36-year-old Krystal Rivera, according to records from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. Rivera was a mother to a young daughter and had served in the Police Department for four years, as stated by Supt. Larry Snelling during a news conference on Friday morning.
Snelling described Rivera as “young, vibrant, and a hard worker.”
At approximately 9:50 p.m. on Thursday, officers were on patrol when they attempted to stop a male individual in the 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue, as mentioned by Snelling at the news conference. The individual fled into a nearby apartment building, Snelling reported. The officers pursued the individual into an apartment, where they encountered a second individual who was aiming a rifle at them, according to Snelling.
Snelling indicated that police needed to analyze evidence from the apartment to ascertain the events that transpired, but at some point, an officer discharged their weapon, resulting in Rivera being struck.
Officers managed to place Rivera into a vehicle and attempted to rush her to a hospital; however, they were involved in a crash that caused the vehicle to catch fire. Rivera was subsequently transferred to another vehicle and taken to the hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries, as reported by Snelling.
Another officer sustained a gunshot wound to the wrist and is currently hospitalized in fair condition, according to police reports.
“Our officer that we lost tonight — this occurs far too frequently,” Snelling remarked. “An officer, a young officer, just 36 years old with four years of service, who was diligently working in the 6th District to remove firearms from the streets and save lives.
“These officers are actively engaged in reducing crime while placing their lives in jeopardy. I urge everyone to keep this officer’s family in your thoughts and recognize the risks she faced every single day while performing her duties.”
Two individuals fled from the apartment but were apprehended, and three firearms were recovered, Snelling stated.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability — the oversight body for the Police Department — and the Investigative Response Team are currently involved in the investigation.