CHICAGO (AP) – Chicago’s police oversight board has fired an officer who fatally shot two people – a teenager he said threatened him with a bat and a woman standing nearby.
The Chicago Police Board fired Officer Robert Rialmo on Thursday, nearly four years after the deaths of 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier and 55-year-old Bettie Jones.
Rialmo said LeGrier swung a bat at him in December 2015 when he responded to a domestic disturbance call. Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability contended Rialmo overreacted and made differing statements. Investigators cast doubt on whether LeGrier swung at officers.
A jury awarded a $1.05 million to LeGrier’s family in a wrongful death lawsuit, but a judge reversed it, noting jurors also found Rialmo feared for his life.
The City Council awarded $16 million to Jones’ family.
