Anita Alvarez Seeks FBI Help with Chicago Police Shooting That Killed Bettie Jones and Antonio LeGrier

The Cook County State’s Attorney has asked for the FBI’s help to investigate the Chicago police shooting that claimed the lives of a 19-year-old college student and a 55-year-old grandmother.

The day after the Dec. 26, the police department admitted Bettie Jones was “accidentally struck and tragically killed.” This week, sources in the department told the Chicago Tribune the officer did not see Jones standing behind Quintonio LeGrier, who was coming out the front door of a West Side house with a metal baseball bat in hand. LeGrier had been angrily threatening his father early that morning, which prompted a 911 call to police.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, in the aftermath, said police officers need better training to respond to mental-health crisis calls. LeGrier has been described as emotionally overwrought and mentally ill, but his mother has taken issue with that characterization.

LeGrier was shot as many as seven times. Jones, who opened the front door for police, was shot three times, with a fatal wound to the chest.

The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating for the city.

State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez released a statement Thursday.

“This is a deeply disturbing incident that demands a very deliberate and meticulous independent investigation. At this stage, the investigation is being conducted by IPRA, but my office has also contacted the FBI to request their involvement as wells also contacted the FBI to request their involvement as well. The State’s Attorney’s Office does not control the pace or process of IPRA, but it is absolutely critical in this case, as in all police-involved shootings, for the investigative agency to get it right so that justice can be served. The State’s Attorney’s Office will review the results of the investigation when they are presented to our office and will determine if any criminal charges are warranted. We extend our deepest sympathies to the families of Quintonio LeGrier and Bettie Jones who are grieving the tragic loss of their loved ones.”

The Chicago office of the FBI is reviewing the matter.