Officer Shoots Partner (Who Was Also Former Lover) in the Back During Apartment [0:00-5:02]

Hello, this is Dr. Grande. Today I will analyze the case of Crystal Rivera. First I'll look at the background of this case, move to the timeline of the incident, then off from my analysis. Crystal Rivera was born on November 29, 1988, and lived in Chicago. Sometime around 2015, she had a daughter named Isabella. As far as her career, Crystal originally intended to join the army, but ultimately decided on police work. In 2021, she was hired by the Chicago police department, where she had dreams of becoming a forensic investigator. By 2025, Crystal was a member of the sixth district TAC team and would patrol the streets with her partner, Carlos Baker. She had once been romantically involved with Carlos, which may have made their situation complex. Now moving to the timeline of the incident. On June 5, 2025, Crystal Rivera and Carlos Baker were on patrol in the East Chatham neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. This area, which is on the south side of the city, was known for being plagued by elevated gun violence relative to the average for Chicago. Carlos was driving the police cruiser and Crystal was in the passenger seat. At 9.50 pm, they attempted to stop a man named Jaywin Arnold. After observing a bulge under his jacket, consistent with an extended magazine. Jaywin ran away from the officers and into an apartment building at 8200 South Drexel Avenue. Carlos stopped the police cruiser in the street. He and Crystal exited the vehicle and chased after Jaywin on foot. Crystal made it to the door of the apartment building first, but it was locked. She activated multiple doorbells, hoping that someone would unlock the door. Her tactic was successful. When the door unlocked, Carlos entered first, with Crystal right behind him. By this point, Carlos had his service pistol and his left hand. Jaywin could be seen just a few feet away. He ran through another door and up the stairs. Carlos chased Jaywin up one flight of stairs. Crystal followed Carlos, staying several feet behind him. Jaywin ran to the other end of the narrow hallway and into a second floor apartment. Carlos approached the apartment door as Crystal remained behind in the hallway. At this point, Carlos kicked in the apartment door while his service pistol remained in his left hand. When the door opened, Jaywin could be seen tumbling over a couch, just a few feet from the door. Another man who was inside the apartment, Adrian Rucker, could be seen at the other end of the apartment standing inside a doorway. He was holding an AR-style rifle, which he appeared to point in the direction of the officers. Carlos was startled by this threatening behavior. He quickly turned to his right, back toward Crystal. It appears as though he tripped over his own feet and fell backward onto the landing for the stairs going to the third floor. As he was falling, his weapon discharged one time. This appeared to be unintentional. The bullet struck Crystal in her back and traveled through both her lungs, mortally wounding her. On the body camera video, it looks more like she was struck in her side. Crystal fell to the floor right next to the landing at the top of the stairs going down to the first floor. She attempted to call in the shooting on her radio, but dispatch had trouble hearing her. 36-year-old Crystal Rivera died, not long after this. No one else fired a weapon during this incident, the only gun that discharged along to Carlos. After the shooting, Carlos ended up on his back and moved farther away from the apartment door. He ascended the staircase and took a position on the third floor landing, pointing his weapon down the stairs at the front door of the apartment occupied by Jaywin, and Adrian. Carlos called for help on the radio, saying, shots fired at the police. This, of course, was inaccurate. He also requested an ambulance and said an officer had been shot. One minute and 44 seconds after he shot Crystal, Carlos made his way down to the second floor hallway and dragged her lifeless body down the stairs. At this point, the situation with Jaywin and Adrian had not yet been resolved. They were still in the apartment with at least one firearm. The men were later arrested. After investigating the shooting for a few days, the civilian office of police accountability determined that Carlos Baker unintentionally discharged his weapon. The killing of Crystal was accidental. Carlos was not charged with any crime. In August 2025, Carlos Baker was relieved of his police powers due to an unrelated incident. A 29-year-old female Chicago police officer reported that she had been attacked by multiple people, including Carlos, while she was off duty at a bar in Wicker Park. As the investigation into