Chicago 911 operators and police both should be held responsible for the death of Quintonio LeGrier. According to recent findings by the Independent Police Review Authority, LeGrier, 19, called 911 three times asking for help.
Apparently, the student at Northern Illinois University was going through a mental breakdown and believed that someone was attempting to kill him. He called 911 and told the operator that someone was threatening his life. The operator asked him to identify himself and LeGrier responded by saying, “Can you just send an officer.” The operator became upset and responded by saying, “Yeah, when you answer the question.” When LeGrier told the person, “Q,” the operator hung up on him.
LeGrier called 911 a third time and a police officer was finally dispatched to the scene. LeGrier’s father also called 911 and told operators that the teen was off of his medication and attempting to break down his door with a bat.
When police officer Robert Rialmo arrived, he shot LeGrier six times and also shot his neighbor, Bettie Jones, 55, once in the chest. Both victims died from their gunshot wounds.
The recent findings shed light on how Chicago continues to play a part in unlawful killings of its citizens. A numerous amount of unarmed Black people have been killed by police without repercussion from government officials who have attempted to conceal surveillance videos of police abuse. It also proves that there should be an overhaul within the Office of Emergency Management to restructure how 911 operators deal with people who are experience a traumatic situation.
Protests erupted in Chicago near the end of 2015 over Chicago’s failed transparency with its citizens. Officer Rialto is under investigation, but he has yet to be charged with murder.
