Third Suspect Charged in Murder of Off-Duty Chicago Officer

A third suspect has been charged in the ambush murder of off-duty police officer John Rivera, who was gunned down in his car after he left a nightclub with several friends on March 23.

According to WGN-TV , 22-year-old Jaquan Washington has been charged with three felony counts of attempted first-degree murder. Already, 24-year-old Menelik Jackson and 32-year-old Jovan Battle had been charged with first-degree murder and other charges in the case.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson described the murder as a hate crime, saying in a news conference that Rivera was not killed because he was a police officer, but that he was targeted because he was Hispanic.

The gunman had reportedly been involved in a confrontation with a number of Hispanic individuals earlier that evening, went to get at least one firearm, and murdered "the first Hispanic man that he came in contact with."

"When shots were fired, Rivera leaned over and shielded his girlfriend with his body from the gunfire," Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said on Twitter.

Rivera was on the job as a police officer for two years before he was killed.