Chicago policeman who shot black teenager sues victim's estate for $10m 'emotional trauma'

A Chicago policeman who shot and killed a 19-year-old student is suing the teenager’s estate for $10 million for “extreme emotional trauma”.

Robert Rialmo was called to Quintonio LeGrier’s house on Boxing Day last year after reports of a disturbance. He was attacked by LeGrier with a baseball bat, and opened fire – killing the teenager and accidentally shooting dead LeGrier’s neighbour Bettie Jones, 55.

A lawyer for LeGrier’s estate said the suit was “nonsense” and “pure fantasy”.

“It’s a new low for the Chicago police department,” said Basileios Foutris. “First you shoot them, then you sue them.

“I can’t believe that this police officer has the temerity to turn around and sue the estate of the person he killed.”

An investigation is under way, and Mr Rialmo, who is described by his lawyer as a white Chicago-native in his 20s, remains on desk duty.

Joel Brodsky, Mr Rialmo’s lawyer, said the officer was justified in firing his gun, and blamed both LeGrier's and Jones' deaths on LeGrier’s actions. The lawsuit describes LeGrier’s actions as “atrocious” and caused Mr Rialmo “extreme emotional trauma”.

"Facts are a stubborn thing," said Mr Brodsky. "This whole horrible event was the result of Quintonio LeGrier trying to take my client's head off with an aluminium baseball bat."

Mr Rialmo's counterclaim came in response to a lawsuit filed by LeGrier's family. Jones' family has also filed a lawsuit against Mr Rialmo over the shooting.

Those lawsuits offer very different accounts of the shooting. The LeGrier lawsuit alleges he posed no threat when Mr Rialmo shot him, while the Jones lawsuit says Mr Rialmo fired an indiscriminate "hail of bullets" in her general direction.

The shooting came during heightened tensions over the use of force by Chicago police against minorities. Protesters have called for Mayor Rahm Emanuel's resignation following several high-profile incidents, most notably a white police officer's fatal shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald.

That killing, captured on video, led to first-degree murder charges against the officer, Jason Van Dyke.

The mayor ousted his police superintendent in response and called for improved training for police officers.

Chicago is experiencing a wave of gun violence, which authorities say is mainly gang based. Last year 3,000 Chicagoans were murdered in their city.