Bettie Jones

People

Bettie Jones

Outcome

unknown

On December 26, 2015, at approximately 4:30 a.m., Chicago Police Officer Robert Rialmo shot and killed two people while responding to a domestic disturbance call: 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier and 55-year-old Bettie Jones, an innocent bystander who had simply opened the door for the officers. Jones, a mother of five and grandmother who lived downstairs from the LeGrier family, was shot once in the chest and killed. The shooting became one of the most divisive in Chicago Police Department history, ultimately resulting in Rialmo's firing nearly four years later. LeGrier, a Northern Illinois University student apparently experiencing mental health problems, had made three 911 calls claiming someone was threatening his life. Shortly after, his father Antonio LeGrier called 911 reporting that his son was trying to break down his bedroom door and was armed with a baseball bat. Antonio asked his downstairs neighbor, Bettie Jones, to open the door for police when they arrived. Jones opened the door and directed officers Rialmo and Anthony LaPalermo upstairs. As they reached the stairway, LeGrier came down the stairs holding an aluminum baseball bat. Rialmo fired seven to eight shots, striking LeGrier multiple times and hitting Jones once in the chest. Jones was pronounced dead at 4:51 a.m. at the hospital. Key evidence contradicted Rialmo's account: his partner LaPalermo stated he did not see LeGrier swing the bat, and investigators concluded Rialmo was farther from LeGrier than he had claimed. Rialmo was not carrying a Taser the night of the incident, violating department policy requiring him to maintain certification to use the weapon. In late 2017, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) found the shooting unjustified. However, Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson disagreed in March 2018, declaring the shooting justified. Rialmo took the unconventional step of suing LeGrier's estate, blaming the teen for the shooting and claiming it emotionally traumatized the officer—a lawsuit that drew significant criticism. On October 17, 2019, nearly four years after the shooting, the Chicago Police Board voted 7-0 to fire Rialmo. The board determined that "Rialmo had an obligation to tactically reposition himself" to protect innocent bystanders and that he "could have repositioned himself to avoid having to shoot." In June 2018, the City of Chicago reached a $16 million settlement with Bettie Jones's estate—one of the largest settlements in a Chicago police shooting case. The LeGrier family received no compensation from their lawsuit. Bettie Jones had just celebrated Christmas with 15 family members in her apartment the day before she was killed.