CHICAGO _ The Cook County State's Attorney's office said Friday that no criminal charges would be brought against the Chicago police officer who fatally shot a baseball bat-wielding teen and _ mistakenly _ a mother standing by him.
A statement issued by the office said prosecutors found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Officer Robert Rialmo did not act in self-defense.
State's Attorney Kim Foxx played no part in the decision because her previous employer _ a Chicago law firm _ represents the family of one of the victims in a pending lawsuit, the office said.
The shooting occurred about 4:30 a.m. the day after Christmas 2015 as Rialmo and his partner were responding to calls of a domestic disturbance at an apartment in the 4700 block of West Erie Street.
According to Rialmo's initial account _ given to detectives about an hour and a half after the shooting _ neighbor Bettie Jones had answered the door and pointed the officers to an upstairs apartment. As she turned to walk back to her unit, Quintonio LeGrier, 19, emerged from the doorway brandishing a bat over his head, gripped in both hands, according to Rialmo's account.
Rialmo said he started backing down the stairs and drew his service weapon while ordering LeGrier to drop the bat. In fear of his life, Rialmo said he opened fire three or four times. LeGrier grabbed his chest, uttered an expletive and collapsed.
Rialmo said he was standing at the base of the porch stairs by the time he stopped firing. When he returned to the porch, he saw Jones, 55, lying on her back with her legs sticking into the vestibule.
