The day after Christmas last year, a day when most families are busy recuperating from the holiday feast and gift openings, two families would get the shock of their lives. Chicago police officer Robert Rialmo responded to a domestic disturbance call in West Garfield Park. The caller was a distraught father in need of intervention with his unsettled 19-year-old son, Quintonio LeGrier. The father reported that his son was wielding a metal bat towards him. Officer Rialmo arrived at the scene not long after the call. LeGrier indeed had possession of the metal bat, and the officer advised the teen to drop the bat before he proceeded to fire his weapon. LeGrier was shot and killed on the scene as well as his neighbor, 55-year-old Bettie Jones, who was struck accidently by the officer.
This incident angered many Chicagoans, giving them the confirmation of the police notion to shoot first and ask questions later. Police training begins in the academy, where the idea of “officer safety” is excessively highlighted. Their main goal is to do their job and go home to their families safely.
There are many instances wherein officers may encounter life-threatening situations and treat every individual as a potential threat. Over and over again in police training, the trainees are shown video footage of fallen officers being victims to lack of caution. This may be to remind them to never hesitate in any situation that they are faced with.
Rialmo is now suing the estate of the family of LeGrier for $10 million. In a counterclaim filed last week, Rialmo stated the 19-year-old victim attempted to attack him with a metal bat and caused him to suffer emotional trauma. Rialmo believed that, by having to fatally shoot LeGrier, he also suffered emotional damage because it resulted in the accidental death of Bettie Jones. According to the officer, if LeGrier would have co-operated Jones would still be alive. The officer claimed that he did not notice Jones due to LeGrier lunging towards him with his bat that blocked his view. The families of LeGrier and Jones filed a wrongful death suit, but authorities quickly suggested that Jones’ death was caused by LeGrier’s actions.
It is clear that like many other officers across the world, Rialmo was trained to ensure his own safety even though it came at the cost of two lives. Though officers are trained to protect themselves, they are also trained to diffuse situations in an nonviolent manner, something that has not been seen as of late.
Suing the families’ estates contradicts a part of his job description: “by all means make it home to your family.” Again, the notion of shoot first, ask questions later played a large part in this incident. The officer did not examine thoroughly the situation or the people in the hallway when he opened fire. He noticed that after the damage was done.
Emotional trauma? The family members of LeGrier and Jones are the individuals who should be considered to have suffered emotional trauma. Antonio LeGrier, the teen’s father, initially called the authorities for aid with his son who suffered from mental issues, and it was he who notified his neighbor, Jones, to look out for the authorities arrival, not knowing that it would end in a tragic way. To make matters worse, it was indeed Jones’ 19-year-old daughter who found her mother’s lifeless body in the apartment’s hallway entrance with a fatal gun wound to her neck. An incident such as this can create a lack of trust between the individuals who are in need of help from authorities but are afraid that something such as this can happen again.
It is clear that in the “enforcement world” hesitation can be deadly and in fact officers are instructed to shoot before fully understanding the problem before them. These tactics were used by Rialmo, yet he claims he suffered trauma while doing his “job.” There were many other tactics that could have been used before firing his weapon. Officers should be proficient enough to consider other actions to diffuse situations than just their guns. Police officers are equipped with pepper spray, tasers and guns. Rialmo’s lawsuit may have resulted with an outcome that has raised eyebrows and caused more than a few scratches of the head.
Jones being accidently killed because the officer didn’t call for backup because he felt threatened is another sad story in an ongoing saga of police brutality and police involved shootings. There are other precautions that could have been used instead of shooting LeGrier and Jones. Rialmo’s attorney issued a statement that said that if he did not use deadly force against LeGrier, he would have been killed himself. If doing your job causes an individual to suffer trauma or results in the deaths of innocent people because you don’t use other measures of easing the tension maybe it is time to look for another profession.
