Robert Rialmo, the Chicago police officer who fatally shot 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrierin December, is now threatening to sue the victim's family. Rialmo's attorney confirmed the lawsuit plans to WGN TV, citing "emotional distress" and assault by LeGrier. "My son will never give me any grandchildren and he talks about his stress," Janet Cooksey, LeGrier's mother, tells FOX 32. "I had a promising honor student who always talked about all the great things he was going to do and [Rialmo] talks about his stress? Where does the disrespect stop?"
Rialmo responded to a domestic disturbance call at LeGrier's residence after the teen's father called police, informing them his son had been "acting erratically" and had been seen carrying a baseball bat. When Rialmo arrived at the residence, he ended up fatally shooting LeGrier and a neighbor, Bettie Jones. According to FOX 32, LeGrier had called 911 "three times" himself before his father's call. However, those calls reportedly ended with the dispatcher hanging up on him. "She did not try to see what was the problem, or even try to comfort him," Cooksey argues.
Chicago police officials eventually conceded the shooting as a mistake, with a press release admitting that Jones specifically had been "accidentally struck and tragically killed." Earlier this month, Jones' family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Chicago. LeGrier's family filed a similar suit, leading many to speculate that Rialmo's threatened suit is merely an act of retaliation.
"It is clear changes are needed to how officers respond to mental health crises," Chicago MayorRahm Emanuel told the Chicago Sun-Times earlier this year. In the wake of a police brutality crisis, many citizens and civil rights leaders across the nation have called for the resignation of Emanuel.
