Suspect held in connection with accidental fatal shooting of Chicago officer

CHICAGO (WGN) — A Northwestern Illinois man appeared in court Sunday on charges related to the accidental shooting death of Chicago police officer Krystal Rivera by a fellow cop.

Adrian Rucker, 25, of Freeport —a town west of Rockford— is facing several charges, including armed violence, illegal gun possession and illegal drug possession.

Charges Rucker Faces

• One felony count – Armed Violence / Category 1
• One felony count – Firearm/FOID Invalid/ Not Elig
• One felony count – ID Card – Possess Fraudulent ID Card
• One felony count – PCS – Possession – Poss Amt Con Sub Except (A)(D)
• Six counts – Issuances of Warrant

On Sunday, Rucker was denied pretrial release and will remain in custody. Prosecutors did not accuse him of firing his weapon at officers, but he was accused of pointing a gun at them.

Late Thursday night, Sixth District officers with the Chicago Police Department tried to stop a man suspected of having a gun near East 82nd Street and South Drexel Avenue.

Police said the man ran. Rivera and other officers chased him into an apartment where a second man, who police identified as Rucker, confronted them with a rifle.

Prosecutors told the judge they’ve reviewed body camera video showing Rucker allegedly pointing his rifle at the officers, shortly before the shooting.

One officer fired a shot, which hit Rivera. According to the Cook County Medical Examiner, she was shot in the back.

Colleagues then brought her to a local hospital in a squad car that crashed and caught on fire due to a malfunction, according to CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling. She was then transported in another squad car.

Rivera later died at the hospital, less than an hour after being shot.

Three handguns were recovered at the scene, including two AR style pistols.

Police arrested Rucker near East 82nd Street and South Maryland Avenue shortly thereafter, about two blocks from where the original confrontation took place.

Before that encounter in Chatham, police said there were already six warrants out for Rucker’s arrest from multiple counties, including Cook County.

While executing a search warrant of the apartment, detectives allegedly found a plethora of narcotics, including suspected heroin and crack cocaine. They also found over 20 fraudulent IDs with photos of Rucker on them.

A public defender representing the suspect argued that their office hadn’t seen the body camera videos or search warrant paperwork.

The judge said that based on the evidence presented from both parties, Rucker poses a danger to the public and should remain in custody. 

Rucker will appear in court again on Thursday. Charges have not been filed for the man who first fled from Rivera and the other officers.

Chicago police confirmed relatives of the fallen officer came to the court hearing.

Dozens of officers also came to show their support, as they mourn the loss of another one of their own.

During an unrelated event Saturday, Snelling said the officer who fired the shot that killed Rivera is in a tough place. Rivera was 36 years old and leaves behind a 4-year-old daughter.