Mom Of Teen Shot By Chicago Cop Asked About Prostitution: Lawyer

CHICAGO, IL — In a motion filed this week, a lawyer representing the family of a teenager who was fatally shot by a Chicago police officer in 2015 accused attorneys for the city of harassing the victim's mother by asking during a deposition last month if her son was the result of "her dabbling in prostitution," according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The motion is seeking sanctions for the city lawyers' behavior, which was described as "depraved" and irrelevant, the report added.

The city faces a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of Quintonio LeGrier, the 19-year-old who was killed Dec. 26, 2015, when Officer Robert Rialmo opened fire after being called to the West Garfield Park home of the victim's father. Rialmo, who also is named in the lawsuit, began shooting when the teen open the door of the home wielding a baseball bat. Some of his shots struck a neighbor, Bettie Jones, killing her, as well.

Although no criminal charges were filed against Riamlo, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability determined the shootings were unjustified following an investigation. Riamlo has been on desk duty since the incident, the Sun-Times reports.

According to the motion, a city lawyer asked Janet Cooksey, LeGrier's mother, during a deposition in February if her son's conception had happened while she had "a sexual relationship in exchange for money" with the teen's father, the report stated. Basileios Foutris, the family's lawyer, says Cooksey denies ever being involved with prostitution, the report added.

"Apparently, there is no better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to ask a grieving mother if her dabbling in prostitution led to the birth of her dead son," Foutris wrote in the motion, according to the Sun-Times. "There really are no words to describe the depraved behavior attached to asking the above questions to a mother of a teenager that was shot and killed."

More Patch Coverage:

• Grandmother 'Tragically Killed' in Accidental Police Shooting: Chicago PD
• Grief, Disbelief and Anger as 2 Families Deal With Accidental Police Shooting
• 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

Corporation Counsel Edward Siskel said the city is reviewing the motion and the deposition to see if the questions "were improper," the report stated.

"We expect any attorney representing the city to conduct themselves within the bounds set by the courts. There can be no exceptions," Siskel wrote in a statement.

More via the Chicago Sun-Times

Quintonio LeGrier (Photo via Patch archive)