Freeport man to remain in jail, charged in connection with accidental shooting death of Chicago police officer
A Freeport man will remain in custody after pointing a rifle at Chicago police, which led to officer Krystal Rivera being accidentally shot and killed.
Adrian Rucker, 25, is facing several felonies, including armed violence, possession of a fraudulent ID, and possession of a firearm without a FOID card. He was one of two people taken into custody the night officer Rivera was killed.
Rucker appeared in court on Sunday afternoon, where a heavy police presence filled the courtroom, all supporting officer Rivera.
The judge said he posed a real and present threat and will remain in custody. This is all due to his outstanding warrants and what was found inside the apartment.
The Cook County assistant state's attorney said Chicago police tried to stop a man suspected of having a gun near East 82nd Street and South Drexel Avenue Thursday night. Prosecutors said he ran into an apartment, and officers followed.
They said Rucker jumped over the couch and ran to the hallway to get a rifle. Officer Rivera followed, he pointed the rifle, and a second officer fired and shot Rivera. Prosecutors, however, did not accuse Rucker of firing any shots during the confrontation with police.
"This was an unintentional shooting by a fellow officer, but they were in this predicament by someone who has a history of violence. A history of being a danger to the communities," Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) said.
Prosecutors say Rucker had several outstanding warrants, dating back from 2021 to 2015 in Winnebago, Stephenson, and Cook counties. Those warrants include possession of fraudulent identification, domestic battery, and juvenile aggravated discharge of a firearm. They said he and another suspect were found hiding between two buildings and were arrested.
Officers obtained a search warrant and found three firearms inside the apartment, one of which was a loaded AR-style rifle, multiple drugs, including cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. They also found 20 fraudulent IDs from different states, such as Arizona, New Jersey, Ohio, and California.
"He was a career hardened criminal," Ald. Lopez said.
Police did not release information about the other officer's name, their time with the department, or details about the second suspect who was arrested.
The video above is from an earlier report.
