He was Quintonio LeGrier’s biological father, but Antonio LeGrier was just starting to get reacquainted with his son the night he was killed.
Quintonio was home from college and staying at his father's home on West Erie.
But Antonio LeGrier says he still slept with a 2 x 4 securing his bedroom door.
On the stand, he said he didn’t know why his son was banging on his door with a baseball bat. He never asked why, he just dialed 911 because he thought police could help with what was going on.
After breaking into tears, Antonio LeGrier had a great deal of trouble explaining the sequence of events that night.
He said he thought his son was on a rampage but didn’t know why. In tears he asked, “What happened? I still don’t know what happened. How am I going to get justice for my son?”
Later, La Greer admitted hearing his son say no one is going to push him around anymore, but he said he didn’t know what happened outside that door that caused him to become angry.
Also expected to take the stand, Quintonio LaGrier’s biological mother, Janet Cooksey.
For the first time earlier this week, defendant Robert Rialmo described his feelings the night he shot LaGreir and Betty Jones.
In court Wednesday, he demonstrated how Greer held the bat high above his head.
Rialmo admits to firing the shots in 2015 that killed Legrier and downstairs neighbor Jones, but maintains that he only did so because Legrier lunged at him with a baseball bat.
“If I had turned toward the street and ran, he would’ve been on my ass with that baseball bat,“ Rialmo said. “I thought he was going to take my head out with it.”
Rialmo said he only shot LaGrier out of fear for his own safety.
Betty Jones, he says, was caught in the crossfire.
His recollection Wednesday differed in small ways from the video taped depositions he gave in the past.
Not only is Rialmo on trial for wrongful death, he is countersuing the estate of LeGrier, alleging the incident has left him a changed man. He is also suing the city of Chicago for allegedly not training him adequately.
When pressed on whether he knew if the allegations in his counter claim were true, Rialmo waited to answer.
“You were smirking and laughing just now," an attorney noted in court. "Do you think there is anything funny about this?”
“No,”Rialmo said.
At one point, he was asked about his medical training, both as a Chicago police officer and previously as a Marine and whether he carried gauze and bandages.
“It was in your pack with your asp, but you did nothing to retrieve it?” attorneys asked.
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“It wouldn’t have done anything,” Rialmo said.
