Chicago Police Kill 2 During Domestic Disturbance Call

[YESorNO]

Robert Rialmo who killed 2 in controversial shooting cleared by judge in bar fight (with clip)

"...Cook County Circuit Judge Daniel Gallagher on Tuesday cleared Officer Robert Rialmo of two counts of misdemeanor battery resulting from the fight that occurred in December at Moretti’s Ristorante & Pizzeria in Edison Park around 2:30 a.m....

Rialmo's lawyer argued the officer was defending himself from "very intoxicated" aggressors when he punched two men in the face. Rialmo testified Tuesday he was acting in self defense....

Rialmo is still facing potential departmental discipline. When asked if he wants to remain a Chicago police officer, he smiled and said he does.

Robert Rialmo who killed 2 in controversial shooting cleared by judge in bar fight
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[YESorNO]

Days After Acquittal In Bar Fight, Chicago Cop In Hot Water

"CHICAGO (CBS)–Just a few days after the Chicago police officer at the center of a fatal shooting was cleared of charges he beat two men at a Northwest side taven last year, officer Robert Rialmo was involved in another altercation at a bar early Friday, police said.

Rialmo was one of the people involved in a verbal dispute that turned physical at Teaser’s Pub, a bar located in Norwood Park, at around 3:40 a.m. when police responded to a call about a battery...."

Days After Acquittal In Bar Fight, Chicago Cop In Hot Water
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[YESorNO]

COPA released Rialmo findings too soon: new public safety IG

08/09/2018

"Last December, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability announced it found that Officer Robert Rialmo was not justified when he shot and killed Quintonio LeGrier and Bettie Jones in December 2015.

Now, in his first published report since being confirmed by the City Council last month, Deputy Inspector General for Public Safety Joe Lipari said COPA jumped the gun when it publicized its findings and recommendation.

“COPA’s late-December 2017 release of the Rialmo Report risked creating the appearance of an accountability system susceptible to external pressure,” Lipari found.

Lipari noted that while COPA’s decision to release its findings and recommendation were “taken in the spirit of robust transparency,” he recommended COPA “revisit its release practices to comply with the time allowed” under the city’s municipal code....

Under the municipal code of the city, the CPD superintendent has 90 days to issue a ruling on a recommendation from COPA. The superintendent’s ruling is then sent to the the Chicago Police Board, the administrative body that metes out discipline to officers.

In Rialmo’s case, since Johnson disagreed with COPA, a single member of the board decided the case would be heard by the rest of the board members. They have yet to issue a ruling...."

COPA released Rialmo findings too soon: new public safety IG
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[YESorNO]

EXCLUSIVE: Officer Robert Rialmo found ‘fit for duty,’ his lawyer says

8/09/2018

"...Attorney Joel Brodsky tells Sneed his client, 29-year-old Rialmo, who is awaiting word on whether he will be disciplined by the Chicago Police Board for the shooting of 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier and his father’s neighbor, Bettie Jones — just passed a “fitness for duty” exam conducted by the Chicago Police Department.

“He [Rialmo] told me he passed a battery of psychological tests this week and was found fit for duty,” said Brodsky, who called Sneed from Europe.

“Depending on what the Chicago Police Board does, he is just waiting to be assigned to regular duty and taken off desk duty,” added Brodsky...."

EXCLUSIVE: Officer Robert Rialmo found 'fit for duty,' his lawyer says
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[YESorNO]

2nd Rialmo fight caught on video: ‘He’s a cop … but he’s drunk,’ witness says (with clip)

09/04/2018

"The Civilian Office of Police Accountability released more than a dozen video clips Tuesday showing embattled Chicago Police Officer Robert Rialmo in a fight on the Northwest Side.

The scuffle, captured on several surveillance and cellphone cameras, happened in July, just days after Rialmo — who fatally shot Bettie Jones and Quintonio LeGrier in 2015 — was acquitted of battery charges that stemmed from another bar fight he was in last December.

In a cellphone video, a shirtless Rialmo can be seen and heard exchanging words with the man holding the cellphone....
A CPD Internal Affairs investigation into the fight remains open, police said Tuesday.

Rialmo’s attorney, Joel Brodsky, said after the skirmish, his client took a Breathalyzer test which registered a 0.00 blood-alcohol content....

Rialmo still faces possible discipline from the Chicago Police Board for the shooting of LeGrier and Jones. COPA is still investigating his role in the December 2017 fight, as well.

Rialmo was assigned to desk duty after the LeGrier/Jones shooting and was stripped of his police powers after he was charged in the December 2017 fight...."

2nd Rialmo fight caught on video: 'He's a cop ... but he's drunk,' witness says
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[YESorNO]

City Aldermen Approve $16 Million Payout To Family Of Bettie Jones, Accidentally Killed By Chicago Police Officer Robert Rialmo (with clip)

September 18, 2018

"...The City Council Finance Committee on Monday approved the payout. It still requires full City Council approval. If the full City Council approves the payment as expected Thursday, it would be among the largest settlements in city history for a shooting by a Chicago police officer...."

City Aldermen Approve $16 Million Payout To Family Of Bettie Jones, Accidentally Killed By Chicago Police Officer Robert Rialmo

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[YESorNO]

Hearing set for Monday on potential new Quintonio LeGrier, Robert Rialmo trial

09/25/2018

"...In the months since the eight-day trial concluded, attorneys for the LeGrier estate, Rialmo and the city have filed motions, responses and replies arguing for and against a new trial.

A hearing on those arguments is set for next Monday morning, but it’s unclear if Van Tine will make a ruling....

In a filing submitted Monday, LeGrier estate attorney Jack Kennedy argued that the jury’s decision to award damages and their answer to the special interrogatory were not mutually exclusive...."

Hearing set for Monday on potential new Quintonio LeGrier, Robert Rialmo trial
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[YESorNO]

Judge denies motion for new Quintonio LeGrier, Robert Rialmo trial

10/01/2018

"A Cook County judge denied a request for a new trial from the estate of Quintonio LeGrier Monday morning.

The decision from Judge Rena Marie Van Tine came three months after a Cook County jury found that Chicago Police Officer Robert Rialmo was, effectively, justified when he fatally shot the 19-year-old LeGrier on Dec. 26, 2015...."

Judge denies motion for new Quintonio LeGrier, Robert Rialmo trial
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[YESorNO]

CPD recommends Rialmo be fired for fatal Jones, LeGrier shooting

11/07/2018

"The Chicago Police Department filed several charges against officer Robert Rialmo Wednesday, recommending the embattled officer be fired from the CPD for his role in the fatal shooting of Bettie Jones and Quintonio LeGrier in December 2015.

The charges against Rialmo allege these violations: action or conduct impeding department efforts to achieve its policy and goals or bringing discredit upon the department; disobeying an order or directive; inattention to duty; incompetency or inefficiency in the performance of duty; and unlawful or unnecessary use or display of a weapon.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability found that the shooting of Jones and LeGrier was not within CPD policy and recommended that Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson refer Rialmo, 29, for termination.

Johnson, however, disagreed with COPA and said Rialmo’s actions were “justified and within department policy.” In April, a single member of the police board advanced Rialmo’s case to the full board. The initial status hearing is set for Dec. 4...."

CPD recommends Rialmo be fired for fatal Jones, LeGrier shooting

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[YESorNO]

Bettie Jones’ son thanks Chicago top cop for recommending Robert Rialmo be fired (with clip)

NOVEMBER 15, 2018

"CHICAGO -- The son of a Bettie Jones, who was shot and killed by Officer Robert Rialmo in 2015, thanked the police superintendent for reversing his decision and recommending that the cop be fired.

Jones, 55, and Quintonio LeGrier, 19, were fatally shot by Rialmo Dec. 26, 2015 during a domestic disturbance call. Jones was standing in a doorway behind LeGrier.

Jones' son son spoke before the police board Thursday evening and thanked CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson for reversing his decision on the shooting....

The police board has scheduled an initial hearing on the the potential Rialmo firing on Dec. 4...."

Bettie Jones’ son thanks Chicago top cop for recommending Robert Rialmo be fired
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[YESorNO]

Judge orders CPD to give Robert Rialmo his gun back

11/27/2018

"The Chicago Police Department was ordered to return a gun to Officer Robert Rialmo — the same gun the embattled officer used to fatally shoot Bettie Jones and Quintonio LeGrier nearly three years ago.

Records show that Cook County Judge Rena Marie Van Tine issued the order Monday, instructing the CPD to “immediately” hand over Rialmo’s 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol. Rialmo’s attorney, Joel Brodsky, told the Sun-Times that it’s the same gun Rialmo used in the shooting.

The order — which was not objected to — was entered in the civil case brought against Rialmo and the city by the LeGrier estate. After an eight-day trial last June, a jury awarded the LeGrier estate $1.05 million in damages. That award was immediately nullified when the jury said, effectively, that Rialmo was justified when he opened fire...."

Judge orders CPD to give Robert Rialmo his gun back
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[YESorNO]

Sam Charles‏Verified account @samjcharles Jul 8
About 30 min until the start of 3 days of Chicago Police Board evidentiary hearings in the December 2015 shootings of Bettie Jones and Quintonio LeGrier by CPD officer Robert Rialmo.


CBS Chicago‏Verified account @cbschicago Jul 8
The Chicago Police Board began hearing evidence on Monday against Officer Robert Rialmo, to determine if he should be fired for violating department rules in the 2015 shooting that killed 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier and 55-year-old Bettie Jones.


WBEZ‏Verified account @WBEZ Jul 8
At a hearing on Monday, Chicago police officer Robert Rialmo said he did not have time to warn Bettie Jones or aim away from her when he shot at Quintonio LeGrier in 2015.


Sam Charles‏Verified account @samjcharles 5h5 hours ago
In the first half of today’s hearing, an attorney for Rialmo, while cross-examining an expert witness for the CPD, raised the possibility of Quintonio LeGrier trying to commit suicide by cop. That line of questioning was barred from the civil trial last year.

 

[YESorNO]

Police Board hearings begin to determine fate of CPD officer involved in 2015 double fatal shooting (with clip)

July 8, 2019

"CHICAGO (WLS) -- A hearing was held Monday to determine whether Chicago police officer Robert Rialmo will remain with the department....

In opening statements Monday, Rialmo's attorneys argued that LeGrier caused Jones' death, not the police officer.
"A cop like that don't deserve a badge because that means all of us are in danger," said Janet Cooksey, LeGrier's mother....

"I don't think it is appropriate for me to really comment on it," Johnson said of the hearing that began Monday and that's expected to last three days. "So we'll see how it plays out and we'll go from there."

Cooksey hopes it ends with Rialmo's firing and an apology from the officer.

"All I want to see from him is some remorse," she said through tears. "You're a human being; you're not a robot.""

Police Board hearings begin to determine fate of CPD officer involved in 2015 double fatal shooting

 

[YESorNO]

Expert witnesses conflicted on Bettie Jones, Quintonio LeGrier shooting
The testimony from two expert witnesses — one a nationally recognized firearms trainer and the other a former assistant U.S. attorney — came during the second day of Police Board evidentiary hearings for Officer Robert Rialmo.

Jul 9, 2019

"A former assistant U.S. attorney testified Tuesday that a “lack of preparedness” on the part of Chicago Police Officer Robert Rialmo led to the officer fatally shooting Quintonio LeGrier and Bettie Jones in December 2015.

A short time later, though, a nationally known use-of-force expert doubled down on testimony he gave last year, saying that Rialmo had no choice but to open fire and that any reasonable officer in his position would have done the same — despite the shooting death of Jones, an innocent bystander who opened the door for police.

“Because a bad result occurs, [it] doesn’t mean someone did something wrong,” said use-of-force and firearms expert Emanuel Kapelsohn. “The person who did something wrong here was Quintonio LeGrier.”

Kapelsohn — who testified in a civil trial last year that was brought on by the lawsuit filed against the city and Rialmo by LeGrier’s estate — said that Rialmo demonstrated above average marksmanship when he shot LeGrier in December 2015.

The testimony came during the second day of evidentiary hearings held by the Chicago Police Board. The testimony presented this week will be used by the full board to determine Rialmo’s future with the Police Department, though a decision isn’t expected for several months....

Janet Cooksey, LeGrier’s mother, was present again in court Tuesday, though — as she did the day before — she walked out of the hearing as it was in progress.....

LaPalermo and one of Jones’ daughters, as well as several character witnesses, are expected to testify Wednesday. The hearings are set to conclude Thursday afternoon."

Expert witnesses conflicted on Bettie Jones, Quintonio LeGrier shooting

 

[YESorNO]

Sam Charles‏Verified account @samjcharles 8h8 hours ago
It’s day 3 of Robert Rialmo’s police board evidentiary hearings. We’re expected to hear from Rialmo again, one of Bettie Jones’ daughters, Rialmo’s partner the night of the shooting, as well as a few character witnesses. My recap of day 2:

Expert witnesses conflicted on Bettie Jones, Quintonio LeGrier shooting


Sam Charles‏Verified account @samjcharles 6h6 hours ago
On lunch now. Anthony LaPalermo, Rialmo's partner the night of the shooting, testified that, after Rialmo shot Quintonio LeGrier, LeGrier's father said "You did what you needed to do" at least five times. This was brought up at trial last year. The elder LeGrier denied saying it.


Sam Charles‏Verified account @samjcharles 6h6 hours ago
One of Bettie Jones' daughters is going to testify this afternoon. She's been elusive so far. Ald. Nick Sposato will speak as well. He told me last year, after donating to Rialmo's legal defense fund, that he's known Rialmo since he was a child.


Sam Charles‏Verified account @samjcharles 4h4 hours ago
Jones’ daughter is still not here, though she was supposed to arrive at 10 a.m. Sposato spoke very highly of Rialmo, adding: “Nobody should ever have to go through the situation he went through that day, but it happens. That’s a policeman’s worst day.”


Sam Charles‏Verified account @samjcharles 4h4 hours ago
Rialmo also took the stand again. “‘Tragedy’ is an understatement, in my mind, for what happened to Ms. Jones. What happened that night is unfair to Ms. Jones. She’s the victim.”

“That’s the worst 10 minutes of my life.”


Patrick Smith‏Verified account @pksmid 4h4 hours ago
Ald. Nick Sposato testified today on behalf of Officer Robert Rialmo in a hearing to help determine if Rialmo should be fired for killing Bettie Jones and Quintonio LeGrier in 2015.


Sam Charles‏Verified account @samjcharles 3h3 hours ago
Latisha Jones, Bettie Jones' daughter, was the last person to testify today and it was, to say the least, tense. With Rialmo sitting 10 feet away from her, she talked about how she offered to answer the door for her mother, but Bettie insisted she do it.


Sam Charles‏Verified account @samjcharles 3h3 hours ago
She described checking Bettie Jones' pulse and seeing her gasp for breath. Rialmo spent a good amount of her testimony looking at the floor.


Sam Charles‏Verified account @samjcharles 3h3 hours ago
During cross-examination, one of Rialmo's lawyers used an easel to hold a blown up version of the photo below, which shows where Bettie Jones and Quintonio LeGrier died.

Sam Charles‏Verified account @samjcharles 3h3 hours ago
Latisha Jones immediately burst into tears, Rialmo's lawyers declined to ask any more questions, and Latisha and one of her sisters ran out of court. Final arguments tomorrow. It'll be a few months before any police board decision.

 

[YESorNO]

Sam Charles‏Verified account @samjcharles 37m37 minutes ago
My recap from the 3rd — and so far most eventful — day of evidentiary hearings in Officer Robert Rialmo’s police board case.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/7/10/20689504/bettie-jones-daughter-runs-from-court-in-tears-after-seeing-photo-of-shooting-scene …

Bettie Jones’ daughter runs from court in tears after seeing photo of shooting scene
The testimony from Latisha Jones came during the third day of evidentiary hearings in the Chicago Police Board case against Officer Robert Rialmo, who shot and killed Jones and Quintonio LeGrier in December 2015.

Jul 10, 2019

"...Before her dramatic exit, Jones described how her mother, Bettie Jones, 55, insisted that her daughter not answer when Rialmo rang the doorbell.

Rialmo and his partner were responding to several calls of a domestic disturbance involving LeGrier and his father, who lived upstairs in the two-flat at 4710 W. Erie St.

The elder LeGrier had barricaded himself in his bedroom as his son — who was in the midst of a mental health crisis — tried to get in with an aluminum baseball bat. The elder LeGrier had asked Bettie Jones to let the police in when they arrived.

Once the officers were on the front porch, LeGrier came running down the stairs with the bat, taking two swings at Rialmo before the officer opened fire, killing LeGrier, 19, and Bettie Jones. It is still contested as to whether the bullet that killed Bettie Jones was a stray or if it passed through LeGrier’s body first.

Latisha Jones, 23, was in the bathroom of her mother’s first-floor apartment when the gunfire rang out. Initially, she said, she thought it was coming from further away because she had heard gunfire on the block a few days earlier, which she attributed to a gang conflict in the area.

“I was quiet,” she testified. “I didn’t say anything. I didn’t move.”

When she walked out of the bathroom, she saw her mother lying face-up on the floor, crying. Latisha Jones put her hand under her mother’s head to cradle it, and soon after saw blood on her own hand. Her mother, shot once in the chest, couldn’t speak. Latisha Jones checked her pulse and tried her best to comfort her as her mother gasped for air.

“It’s OK. It’s OK. Just fight it,” she recalled saying Wednesday....

Rialmo — whose attorneys have worked to show that LeGrier forced him to shoot — also testified Wednesday, the second he’s done so this week....

One of Rialmo’s former lieutenants, a friend who’s now a detective, as well as Ald. Nick Sposato (38th) also testified Wednesday as character witnesses for Rialmo.

Sposato — a former Chicago firefighter — has known Rialmo since he was a child. Rialmo’s father, a retired Chicago firefighter himself, would often bring his children to the firehouse he shared with Sposato.

The alderman, who lamented the intense scrutiny Rialmo has faced in recent years, said the officer has “awesome character. His character is not in question here.”

“Nobody should ever have to go through the situation he went through that day, but it happens,” Sposato said.

“That’s a policeman’s worst day.”"

Bettie Jones’ daughter runs from court in tears after seeing photo of shooting scene

 

[YESorNO]

Sam Charles‏Verified account @samjcharles 3h3 hours ago
Closing arguments in Robert Rialmo's police board case are today. Yesterday featured testimony from one of Bettie Jones' daughters who, upon seeing a photo of the blood-stained vestibule where her mother was killed, burst into tears and ran out of court.

 

[YESorNO]

Sam Charles‏Verified account @samjcharles 13h13 hours ago
Closing arguments in the Robert Rialmo police board case currently underway. Jim Thompson, one of Rialmo's attorneys: "As tragic as it may be that Bettie Jones died, it's the acts of Quintonio LeGrier that caused Bettie Jones to die, not Officer Rialmo."


WBEZ‏Verified account @WBEZ 12h12 hours ago
1) Attorneys gave their closing arguments today in the Chicago Police Board evidentiary hearing about the 2015 killing of Quintonio LeGrier and Bettie Jones. It is now up to the board to decide if Officer Robert Rialmo should be fired for the shooting. http://ow.ly/PGOj50uYWdZ

 

[YESorNO]

Police Board to decide Robert Rialmo’s fate with CPD as evidentiary hearings conclude
A decision from the police board as to Rialmo’s future with the police department will likely take several months.

Jul 11, 2019

"Chicago Police Officer Robert Rialmo’s future with the department is now in the hands of the Chicago Police Board.

The fourth and final day of evidentiary hearings in the case wrapped up Thursday afternoon, with closing arguments delivered from attorneys representing both the CPD and Rialmo himself....

”As tragic as it may be that Bettie Jones died, it’s the acts of Quintonio LeGrier that caused Bettie Jones to die, not Officer Rialmo,” Jim Thompson, one of Rialmo’s attorneys, said during his closing argument....

Rialmo, 30, was not present for the final day of hearings. The charges against him allege action or conduct impeding department efforts to achieve its policy and goals or bringing discredit upon the department; disobeying an order or directive; inattention to duty; incompetency or inefficiency in the performance of duty; and unlawful or unnecessary use or display of a weapon.

It will likely be a few months before the police board reaches a decision as to Rialmo’s future with the CPD and any possible punishment...."

Police Board to decide Robert Rialmo’s fate with CPD as evidentiary hearings conclude

 

[YESorNO]

Chicago Police Board to announce fate of Officer Robert Rialmo

Oct 16, 2019

"Nearly four years after he fired the shots that claimed the lives of two people on the West Side, Chicago Police Officer Robert Rialmo is expected to learn Thursday if he has a future with the department.

The Chicago Police Board, the body that metes out discipline for officers, is expected to announce its decision at its monthly meeting at Chicago Police headquarters, according to Executive Director Max Caproni....."

Chicago Police Board to announce fate of Officer Robert Rialmo