Chicago police Friday confirmed a bar fight at a Northwest Side bar in December involved a police officer under investigation for fatally shooting two people, two years ago.
Police say at about 2:45 a.m., just as the bar was closing, Officer Robert Rialmo got into a dispute over a jacket with two other individuals, leading him to allegedly punch them.
Chicago police referred the case to Civilian Office of Police Accountability presented the case to the Cook County state's attorney. The state's attorney declined to file charges, but now the Chicago Police Department's internal affairs is investigating.
Rialmo was already on desk duty for the December 2015 shooting of 19-year old Quintonio LeGrier and 55-year old bystander Bettie Jones.
COPA ruled that the shooting was unjustified but the state's attorney declined to file charges. Supt. Eddie Johnson is now deciding whether Rialmo should be fired in that case.
Janet Cooksey, the mother of Quintonio LeGrier, says Johnson will not gain public trust if he only praises officers without disciplining them. She said disciplining officers will teach them they're not "above the law."
"Officer Rialmo was in an off duty closing time shoving match with two men who tried to take his coat," Rialmo's attorney Joel Brodsky said in a statement. "Nobody requested medical attention, there were no injuries, the men refused to cooperate with the police, and no charges were brought. Without complaining witnesses, there is no reason for any criminal investigation."
