CHICAGO — A young Chicago police officer with a troubled disciplinary history is under intense scrutiny after he accidentally shot and killed his partner, Officer Krystal Rivera, during a chaotic confrontation involving two armed suspects inside a South Side apartment.

Officer Carlos A. Baker, 26, who joined the Chicago Police Department in December 2021, had already accumulated a concerning record: over a dozen misconduct complaints, three suspensions, and two reprimands, according to internal documents.

One of the earliest complaints, lodged on his very first shift, alleged that he failed to arrest a home invasion suspect.

Despite the serious nature of that and other accusations—including flashing a firearm at a woman during an off-duty altercation—Baker was neither dismissed during his probationary period nor blocked from being assigned to a tactical team.

According to police sources and court filings, Baker was later transferred to the Gresham District tactical team, a specialized unit tasked with proactive street patrols targeting guns and drugs in high-crime neighborhoods including Chatham and Gresham.

Rivera, hired 10 months prior to Baker, was also assigned to that same unit.

The tragic incident occurred on the night of June 5, 2025, when Officers Baker and Rivera pursued an armed suspect into an apartment complex near the 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue.

According to prosecutors, a second man inside the apartment pointed an AR-style pistol at Baker. In the ensuing chaos, Baker accidentally discharged his weapon, fatally striking Rivera in the back. The 27-year-old officer was later pronounced dead, marking the first Chicago police officer killed by friendly fire in nearly four decades.

Baker’s history with the department has raised questions about the CPD’s oversight and internal accountability. Records from the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) and investigative journalism by the Illinois Answers Project reveal that only 5% of CPD officers accumulated six or more complaints between 2018 and 2023—a threshold Baker surpassed early in his career.

Among the most serious allegations: In December 2022, Baker allegedly confronted a woman he had met online at a bar on Chicago’s North Side while she was on a date with another man.

The woman told COPA that Baker, who was off duty, lifted his shirt to reveal a firearm tucked into his waistband while making threatening remarks. Though she initially called 911, she later declined to cooperate further, and the case was closed without discipline due to lack of evidence.

Baker also faced scrutiny in a 2023 traffic stop, where he and another officer mistakenly detained and searched a man driving what they believed to be a stolen vehicle. The car was later found to be legally registered, and the stop was deemed based on incorrect DMV data. Baker received a five-day suspension for failing to properly document the stop and for conducting an unlawful search.

In addition, he was cited for two preventable traffic accidents while on duty—one of which led to a suspension—and reprimanded in a separate case for failing to file an incident report.

Prior to the shooting, Baker had gained attention online through viral TikTok videos filmed in uniform, including one at the Sueños Music Festival that amassed over 23 million views. While popular on social media, the videos sparked internal criticism, with some officers questioning the professionalism and oversight within CPD’s tactical teams.

The June 5 shooting also shed light on an earlier gun theft incident in the same district, where Rivera was named as a key witness. Department records confirm that she was not under investigation and had taken steps to help locate the missing firearm, searching colleagues’ belongings when she became aware it was unaccounted for. That investigation was reopened after inquiries by reporters.

The department has since placed Officer Baker on administrative duty, per CPD protocol for any officer-involved shooting. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is now reviewing both the circumstances surrounding Rivera’s death and Baker’s conduct in prior incidents. The department has declined to answer further questions, citing an ongoing court order limiting disclosure of records tied to the case.

Baker’s attorney, Tim Grace, called the incident a “tragic accident,” stating:

“Officer Baker is heartbroken over what happened that night and is privately processing his grief. The focus should be on the profound loss of a dedicated officer and person, not second-guessing every tactical decision made in a high-pressure moment. Policing is dangerous work.”

Before becoming a police officer, Baker played wide receiver for Southern Utah University.

His social media presence and athletic background once seemed to paint the picture of a rising young officer. Now, his career and reputation are under investigation amid calls for reform to how tactical units are staffed and supervised.

The death of Officer Krystal Rivera has not only devastated her fellow officers and community members but has also reignited broader concerns about CPD’s internal discipline and the standards used to assign officers to high-risk positions.

The investigation remains ongoing.