CHICAGO – A woman who says she was shot with a stolen gun that had been turned in during a police buyback program is now suing the city of Chicago, alleging officials failed to safeguard the weapon.
What we know:
Attorneys for Twanda Willingham say she was shot in August 2023 in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood.
The .45-caliber Glock 21 used in the shooting had reportedly been surrendered months earlier at a Chicago Police Department gun buyback event held at Saint Sabina Church.
However, the weapon disappeared while in transit between the church and a nearby police station—just blocks apart. It was not recovered until November 2024, when ballistics testing linked it to Willingham’s shooting and at least two others.
Authorities later found the gun in the possession of a 16-year-old boy.
According to a report by the Chicago Sun-Times, a lawsuit filed this week references slain Chicago Police Officer Krystal Rivera, who died in June from friendly fire. Rivera’s name appeared on inventory records related to the missing gun, but she was cleared in an internal investigation.
What’s next:
Rivera is not named as a defendant in the suit. Instead, the lawsuit holds “unknown” police officers and the City of Chicago responsible, alleging a cover-up involving the gun’s disappearance.
The teenager who was found with the weapon has not disclosed how he obtained it but pleaded guilty in April to unlawful possession.
Crime and Public SafetyChicagoNewsAuburn Gresham