A “young, vibrant and hard working” Chicago police officer who was shot in the chest during a pursuit Thursday night in Chatham on the South Side has died, police said.
Officer Krystal Rivera, who was 36 and a mother of a “very young daughter,” was a four-year veteran assigned to the Gresham District tactical team, Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling told reporters early Friday.
Officer Rivera was pronounced dead at 10:19 p.m. Thursday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
“She was a hero, and she lost her life tragically,’' Snelling said.
“She was young, vibrant and a hard worker,” said Snelling, who added she had “already processed two other guns working that day.
“She was a working police officer trying to keep the streets safe,” he said. “Working hard, extremely hard, to save lives.”
“This young woman served honorably and courageously,’’ said Mayor Brandon Johnson, who spoke at the early morning briefing. “Her young energetic and bold approached towards keeping us safe is the memory that we will honor.”
Rivera was on patrol with other officers when they tried to conduct an investigatory stop on an armed male suspect in the 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue about 9:50 p.m., the police said in a written statement.
“He fled,” Snelling said, and officers gave chase on foot into an apartment.
“When officers followed they were then confronted by a second person in that apartment, armed with a rifle,’’ Snelling said, adding that he pointed the rifle at the officer.
An officer then discharged their weapon and at some point during the confrontation, Rivera was shot in her chest, police said.
The gunman ran from the home but was taken into custody, according to the statement.
“Shots fired at police,” an officer screamed over the radio while calling for assistance.
Officers attempting to rush the wounded officer for treatment crashed, and their car caught fire.
“The transport vehicle is on fire,” an officer said over police radio.
There was “some type of malfunction” in the vehicle that caught fire, Snelling said, adding that additional responding officers took her to the hospital.
Rivera, who sources say was shot with a rifle, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she died, police said.