Fifty-five-year-old Bettie Jones, left, and 19-year-old Quintonio Legreir were killed by a Chicago police officer responding to a domestic disturbance call, Dec. 26, 2015. WBBM/FAMILY PHOTOS
Tensions high in Chicago after double fatal police shooting
Tensions remain high in Chicago after police shot and killed two people early Saturday morning, with the force already faces heightened scrutiny overs its practices.
Janet Cooksey says her 19-year-old son, Quintonio LeGrier, was a college honors student studying engineering who recently had been dealing with some mental health issues, reports CBS News correspondent Anna Werner.
Family members reportedly called police to their home Saturday because the teen was threatening his father with a baseball bat. Detectives described LeGrier as being “combative” before he was shot.
“I used to watch the news daily and I would grieve for other mothers, other family members, and now today I’m grieving myself,” said Janet Cooksey, LeGrier’s mother. “When do it come to an end?”
Fifty-five-year-old Bettie Jones, a mother of five, lived in the same building. She was reportedly waiting for police to respond, then got shot along with LeGrier.
Police admitted she was quote “accidentally struck and tragically killed.”
“Right now is a time for compassion towards the suffering of families that are experiencing injustices throughout our city,” Jahmal Cole, a Jones relative, said Sunday at a press conference.
The frustration felt by this community comes amid protests over a string of deadly police shootings.
Video released recently showed the death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, shot by officer Jason Van Dyke 16 times in October of 2014. The officer faces criminal charges.
On Sunday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel called for a review of how police are trained to respond to mental health issues in a crisis.
But family, friends and local religious leaders holding a vigil for LeGrier and Jones were critical of Emanuel’s efforts – some now even asking for intervention from the White House.
“We hope to hear from the president, President Obama — we are under siege,” said Pastor Ira Acree of the Greater St. John Bible Church.
This incident was one of two separate police-involved shooting incidents Saturday. Chicago’s independent police review board is investigating both, while the Justice Department continues to investigate whether the Chicago police use excessive force appropriately.
