The 2015 Chicago police-involved shootings of 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier And 55-year-old Bettie Jones have been ruled unjustified by police watchdog group, The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), in recent days. 

Two years ago on Dec. 26, Officer Robert Rialmo responded to a domestic disturbance call on the west side of the city where he encountered LeGrier holding an aluminum bat.

Around 4 a.m. the morning of the shooting, LeGrier's father called 911 and told them his son had become violent and threatened him with the bat. At the same time, LeGrier's father called Jones, his downstairs neighbor, to ask her to open the door when the police arrived, reported ABC 7 Chicago.

The teen allegedly approached the officer with the baseball bat forcing the officer to shoot and defend himself. Rialmo's weapon went off eight times hitting LeGrier six times and accidentally shooting the neighbor, killing her. 

COPA's decision came down Dec. 22 and shows there have been discrepancies with Rialmo's account and the evidence presented — forensics, eyewitness reports and shell casings. Original reports mentioned that the teen fell in the vestibule of an apartment building, and Rialmo opened fire from the building’s front porch. But investigators determined that it was more likely the officer was between the bottom of the porch and the sidewalk in front of the building.

The Chicago Tribune reports that investigators discovered Rialmo may have been farther away from LeGrier when he fired than the officer previously said. Also, the teen did not swing the bat at the officer during the incident, per the 48-page report.

"The report unambiguously states that the officer is lying about what happened," said Basileios Foutris, attorney for the LeGrier family.

While the police department typically does not disclose COPA recommendations, previous cases have indicated that COPA may call for the firing of the officer. LeGrier’s mother, Janet Cooksey, was relieved to hear the ruling. 

"Each time they mention Quintonio and Bettie (Jones), they would always make it like my baby caused her death. And I know he didn’t. I knew he was just as much a victim as she was. He was innocent too,” she said.

However, the ruling has not been seen as a positive for all parties involved. The Fraternal Order of Police, the union which represents police officers, stands with Rialmo. And the officer's attorney Joel Brodsky believes this ruling was a political one and not based on facts. 

“I challenge anybody not to feel that their life was in danger in such a situation,” Brodsky said. “This is a political decision, not one based on the evidence. … this has got nothing to do with facts.”