COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — Prosecutors will not file charges against the Chicago police officer who fatally shot Quintonio LeGrier and Bettie Jones in 2015, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office announced Friday.
Jones, 55, was shot and killed when officers responded to a domestic disturbance call involving LeGrier, 19, on Dec. 26, 2015. Police also shot and killed LeGrier, a college student who was outside his Austin home.
"After thorough review, the Office of the Cook County State’s Attorney has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Officer [Robert] Rialmo did not act in self-defense in shooting LeGrier and Jones," Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx said in a statement Friday.
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The statement continued: "The purpose of the [state's attorney's] review was solely to examine whether the conduct of Officer Rialmo was unlawful. The State’s Attorney’s review specifically does not address issues related to tactics, whether Officer Rialmo followed police procedures, whether he should be subject to discipline, his employment status, or the merits of any civil litigation."
Foxx's office was quick to point out that Foxx herself was not directly involved in reviewing the 2015 case. Her previous employer, Power, Rogers & Smith, represents Jones' estate. Instead, First Assistant State's Attorney Eric Sussman served as the lead investigator.
The shooting happened about 4:30 a.m. Dec. 26, 2015, after police were called to a two-flat apartment building in the 4700 block of West Erie Street, where they "were confronted by a combative subject [LeGrier]" swinging a baseball bat, police said.
According to Jones' family, LeGrier's father had called 911 to say his son was swinging a baseball bat in the building's upstairs apartment. Police fatally shot LeGrier on the scene, authorities said, and Jones was "accidentally struck and tragically killed" when a bullet ripped through her first-floor apartment.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson said at least one bullet traveled through the front of Jones' home, went through several rooms and came back out of the house.
Last February, Rialmo and his attorney, Joel Brodsky, filed a lawsuit against LeGrier's estate seeking more than $10 million in damages for the "extreme emotional trauma" they said the officer suffered as a result of the shooting.
According to the lawsuit, Rialmo was forced to shoot LeGrier on Dec. 26 after LeGrier attacked him with a baseball bat.
The countersuit came after LeGrier's father, Antonio, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city.
According to relatives and friends, Jones was a 55-year-old mother of five, grandmother of six and community activist.
Jones previously worked at the Alpha Baking bread factory before being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2015, brother Robin Andrews said. After a successful surgery, Jones was looking for an all-clear from her doctor so she could get back to work.
"She was the kind of person who would come home after a 16-hour shift and then ask you if you needed anything," Andrews said. "She was always trying to help, sharing whatever little food she had in her fridge. She was one of a kind like that."
According to his family, LeGrier was an engineering student at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. He "worked hard in school," relatives said, and had recently run a marathon for charity.
Shortly after the shooting, several relatives said LeGrier struggled with mental illness. But a cousin later claimed the media led "smears" against LeGrier and that he did not have "mental issues."
At a news conference, LeGrier's mother spoke out against police and disputed their claim that her son was "combative." She was not present at the time of the shooting.
"The police are supposed to serve us and protect us. And yet they take our lives. What's wrong with that picture?" Janet Cooksey asked. "When is the mayor going to step up? Because we can't get no help from the police. CPD has failed us over and over."
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