Off-Duty Chicago Cop Who Shot Teen, Grandma Cleared in Bar Brawl

CHICAGO, IL — The Chicago police officer at the center of a 2015 shooting that left two people dead has been cleared in connection with a barroom brawl late last year. A judge deliberated for an hour before acquitting Robert Rialmo of two counts of misdemeanor battery Tuesday after he was accused of punching two men in December at Moretti's Ristorante & Pizzeria on the Far Northwest Side, an incident that was caught on video, according to the Chicago Tribune. An earlier theft charge in the case had been dropped by prosecutors.

As part of his defense during the two-day bench trial, Rialmo, who was off-duty at the time, argued that his actions were self-defense and that one of the men tried to take Rialmo's jacket, the report stated. Prosecutors refuted the self-defense claim and called what Rialmo did a "bar attack" because of his background as a police officer and a hockey player, the report added. Ultimately, the judge agreed with Rialmo's argument and ruled in the officer's favor, the report added.

Despite the judge's decision, Rialmo could still face punishment by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability stemming from the incident. Authorities also have yet to decide on the officer's job status in regards to a fatal shooting on Dec. 26, 2015, following a call concerning a bat-wielding teenager at a West Garfield Park home.

More Patch Coverage:

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• Chicago Cop Sues Estate of Teen He Shot 6 Times, Asks for $10 Million
• No Criminal Charges For Chicago Cop Who Shot Quintonio LeGrier, Bettie Jones
• Off-Duty Bar Fight Video Released Of Cop Who Shot LeGrier, Jones
• Mom Of Teen Shot By Chicago Cop Asked About Prostitution: Lawyer
• $16M Deal Reached In Fatal Shooting Of Grandma By Chicago Cop
• Jury's Verdict Against Chicago Cop In Shooting Lawsuit Reversed

In that incident, Rialmo shot and killed Quintonio LeGrier, a 19-year-old engineering student at Northern Illinois University who had been accused of threatening his father. Rialmo claimed he fired at LeGrier because the teen was swinging a metal bat at him.

LeGrier wasn't the only victim from the shots fired by Rialmo. Bettie Jones, 55, had opened the door for Rialmo, and the grandmother and mother of five had been standing behind LeGrier when she was accidentally hit by gunfire.

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office decided not to file criminal charges against Rialmo following an investigation by the Independent Police Review Authority, the Illinois State Police and the FBI. Prosecutors cited "insufficient evidence" to prove the officer didn't act in self-defense in the shooting as the reason not to press charges. Chicago's Civilian Office of Police Accountability, however, called the shooting unjustified and asked that Rialmo, who was placed on administrative duty following the shooting, be fired.

Last month, a Cook County jury in the wrongful death civil case brought by LeGrier's family ruled that the shooting was not justified and awarded the teen's estate $1.05 million in damages. That decision was reversed by a judge, however, citing a signed special question to the jury that determined Rialmo feared for his safety when he opened fire. The judge ruled that that question — known as a special interrogatory — outweighed the jury's original verdict.

But the reversal did not change the jury's verdict concerning Rialmo's countersuit against LeGrier's family. Jurors sided with the officer, who blamed the teen for the shooting and claimed it caused him emotional distress, but they didn't award him damages.

The city reached a tentative $16 million settlement with Jones' family in May concerning a similar civil case. The City Council still needs to approve the proposed deal and if that happens, the payout would be among the biggest by the city concerning a police-involved shooting.

More via the Chicago Tribune

Off-duty Chicago police Ofc. Robert Rialmo was accused of punching two men during a fight at a Far Northwest Side bar. (Screen shot from video via YouTube)