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Anita Alvarez Asks For FBI's Help On Latest 'Disturbing' Police Shooting

By Erica Demarest | December 31, 2015 1:49pm | Updated on January 1, 2016 12:58pm
 Quintonio LeGrier, 19, and neighbor Bettie Jones, 55, were fatally shot by police on Dec. 26.
Quintonio LeGrier, 19, and neighbor Bettie Jones, 55, were fatally shot by police on Dec. 26.
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Getty Images/Scott Olson

COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez on Thursday said she's seeking FBI help to investigate the Dec. 26 police shooting that killed two people.

Officers were called to a West Garfield Park home about 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 26 after Quintonio LeGrier's father reported to 911 that his son was trying to attack him with a baseball bat. Responding officers fatally shot LeGrier, 19, and downstairs neighbor Bettie Jones, 55. Police admitted Jones was "accidentally struck and tragically killed."

Alvarez in a prepared statement Thursday called the shooting "deeply disturbing" and said it demanded "a very deliberate and meticulous independent investigation" as she requested FBI support.

In Chicago, officer-involved shootings are investigated by IPRA, or the Independent Police Review Authority. The embattled agency has come under fire recently amid allegations of a cover-up in the Laquan McDonald case and general bias in favor of police.

In a statement that appears to take a jab at IPRA, Alvarez said:

"At this stage, the investigation is being conducted by IPRA, but my office has also contacted the FBI to request their involvement as well.

The State's Attorney's Office does not control the pace or process of IPRA," she continued, "but it is absolutely critical in this case, as in all police-involved shootings, for the investigative agency to get it right so that justice can be served. The State's Attorney's Office will review the results of the investigation when they are presented to our office and will determine if any criminal charges are warranted.

We extend our deepest sympathies to the families of Quintonio LeGrier and Bettie Jones who are grieving the tragic loss of their loved ones."

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