No Criminal Charges For Chicago Cop Who Shot Quintonio LeGrier, Bettie Jones

CHICAGO, IL — No criminal charges will be filed against the Chicago police officer who fatally shot a 19-year-old college student and a 55-year-old grandmother in 2015, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office said Friday.

The decision not to file charges against Officer Robert Rialmo comes after prosecutors reviewed an investigation of the Dec. 26, 2015, shooting by the Independent Police Review Authority, the Illinois State Police and the FBI, according to a statement by the office.

In the incident, Rialmo shot and killed Quintonio LeGrier, an engineering student at Northern Illinois University, at a West Side home after responding to a 911 call that LeGrier had been threatening his father. The officer claimed he opened fire because the teen was swinging a metal bat at him.

Rialmo's gunfire also struck Bettie Jones, a grandmother and mother of five. She had opened the door for the officer and was standing behind LeGrier when the shooting happened.

"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 Rialmo did not act in self-defense in shooting LeGrier and Jones," the state's attorney's office's statement said.

Prosecutors stressed that the review of the investigation was only to determine if Rialmo's conduct was unlawful, not if he had violated police procedures or should be disciplined by the department. Those matters should be addressed by the IPRA and the Chicago Police Department, the statement said.

More Patch Coverage:

• Grandmother 'Tragically Killed' in Accidental Police Shooting: Chicago PD
• Grief, Disbelief and Anger as 2 Families Deal With Accidental Police Shooting
• Chicago Cop Sues Estate of Teen He Shot 6 Times, Asks for $10 Million

Newly elected State’s Attorney Kim Foxx was not a part of the case's review or the decision not to file charges against Rialmo, according to the office. She recused herself because her former law firm, Power, Rogers & Smith, represents the estate of Jones.

The Jones and LeGrier families filed wrongful death civil lawsuits against the City of Chicago in January of 2016. Rialmo filed a a $10 million counterclaim in February of 2016, claiming he opened fired because LeGrier was coming at him with a bat and that he did not see Jones.

Quintonio LeGrier (photo via Patch archive)

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