Chicago mayor ordered to answer questions in death of teen shot by police

A judge has ordered Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson to give sworn depositions in lawsuits related to a controversial police shooting of a teen and his neighbor.

The city’s police oversight agency found that officer Robert Rialmo unjustifiably shot and killed 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier and his 55-year-old neighbor Bettie Jones on Dec. 26, 2015, according to documents originally obtained by The Chicago Tribune. Police answered a 911 call about a disturbance at LeGrier’s father’s house where the teen was staying over Christmas break from Northern Illinois University. LeGrier was suffering from mental health problems and had run-ins with the police before, records show.

Jones, who lived downstairs from LeGrier’s father, answered the door and pointed the officers to the second floor. LeGrier, armed with a baseball bat, came down the stairs and Rialmo fired eight times, hitting LeGrier six times and Jones once, according to an analysis released last year by the office of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.

Foxx did not charge Rialmo in the incident, but the police oversight agency’s findings cast doubt on Rialmo’s version of events.

Cook County Circuit Judge James O’Hara ordered both Emanuel and Johnson to give depositions in the coming weeks. Johnson’s is scheduled for March 15, but Emanuel’s is yet to be scheduled.

Emanuel has previously apologized to LeGrier’s father for an unsuccessful attempt by the city to sue his son’s estate which would have shifted some of the financial liability for the death of Jones onto LeGrier’s estate, according to The Tribune. Emanuel called the city's decision not to sue “callous.”

Emanuel’s office did not immediately respond to inquiries from ABC News.