Aide to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel 'attacked at vigil for two shot dead by cops'

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An aide to Mayor Rahm Emanuel (pictured on December 7) was allegedly assaulted while attending a vigil for two people who were fatally shot by Chicago police over the weekend 

An aide to Mayor Rahm Emanuel has allegedly been assaulted while attending a vigil for two people who were fatally shot by Chicago police.

A police spokesman says a man approached the 50-year-old staff member at a Sunday vigil for 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier and 55-year-old Bettie Jones. The man cursed the mayor, then punched and kicked the male aide.

Police say no one was arrested.

Emanuel spokesman Adam Collins said on Tuesday the office is aware of an 'altercation' involving a mayoral staffer. Collins says, 'We take this matter very seriously and the incident is under review.'

LeGrier and Jones were shot and killed by police early Saturday after officers responded to a report of a domestic disturbance.

Police have said LeGrier was 'combative' toward officers before he was shot and Jones, a neighbor, was accidentally hit by gunfire.

The grieving relatives, friends and neighbors of LeGrier and Jones gathered on Sunday for a vigil and a press conference, in which she asked why Chicago police officers 'shoot first and ask questions later'.

Jones, 55, and LeGrier, 19, were shot and killed as officers responded to a domestic disturbance call early Saturday.

Jones was a neighbor of LeGrier's and lived in a first-floor apartment with her boyfriend. Police say Jones was shot accidentally and that both victims were black. 

Autopsy results on Jones indicate that she died from a gunshot to the chest and that LeGrier died from multiple gunshot wounds.

The Cook County medical examiner's office on Sunday also listed the manner of both deaths as homicides. 

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The Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke to family, friends and supporters of Bettie Jones and Quintonio LeGrier during the vigil on Sunday, December 27 

The daughters of Bettie Jones, along with friends and supporters, hang a picture of her during a vigil outside the family home on December 27

'For me to just look at the news and see that she was shot down — a beautiful woman, a beautiful woman. It hurts my heart to see that,' said Jacqueline Walker, a friend of Jones. 

At a news conference outside the West Side residence where the victims lived, Walker said police should use stun guns or other nonlethal methods instead.

'Why must police shoot first and ask questions later?' Walker asked. 'It's ridiculous.'

The shootings came amid scrutiny of police after a series of deaths of African-Americans at the hands of officers gave rise to the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Chicago Police Department also is under a federal civil rights investigation that will look into patterns of racial disparity in the use of force, how the department disciplines officers and handles misconduct accusations.

Family members and others at the news conference wore black T-shirts critical of Mayor Emanuel.

LeGrier's mother, Janet Cooksey, said that the police 'are supposed to serve us and protect us, and yet they take the lives.'

Bloodstains appear in the entrance to an apartment where Bettie Jones, 55, lived, after she and Quintonio LeGrier, 19, were shot by Chicago police

A sticker shows the width of a bullet hole in Bettie Jones' West Garfield Park apartment. The bullet traveled through more than one wall

Mother-of-five Bettie Jones, 55, was pronounced dead at Loretto Hospital at 4.51am after being shot by police

'Something just needs to be done,' she added. 'I used to watch the news daily and I would grieve for other mothers, other family members, and now today I'm grieving myself.'

The Chicago Police Department said in a statement Saturday that officers who responded to a 911 call 'were confronted by a combative subject resulting in the discharging of the officer's weapon.'

'The 55-year-old female victim was accidentally struck and tragically killed,' according to the statement, which extended 'deepest condolences to the victim's family and friends.'

Janet Cooksey (center), the mother of 19 year old Quintonio LeGrier, is supported by relatives and neighbors as she walks from the location where Chicago Police were called to a domestic disturbance that resulted in the shooting death of 55 year old Bettie Jones and LeGrier

LaTarsha Jones, center, daughter of Bettie Jones, is comforted by family and friends during a press conference on Sunday

Jones, a mother of five who had hosted family for Christmas, and LeGrier, a college student home for holiday break, were pronounced dead at hospitals, according to relatives and the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Police did not disclose the race of the officer, saying only that those involved will be placed on administrative duties for 30 days while 'training and fitness for duty requirements can be conducted.' 

It isn't clear how many officers responded, how many used their firearms and how many times both LeGrier and Jones were struck.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the officers' role in the shootings is being investigated by the city's Independent Police Review Authority, the main police oversight agency. He also said police can't comment.

LeGrier's father appeared on CNN on Tuesday to talk about his son's death and broke down in tears as he was questioned about the tragedy.

He explained that he called 911 because he heard banging on his door, and thought that police would desecalate the situation.

Instead, the police killed his son and his innocent neighbor. 

LeGrier's father appeared on CNN on Tuesday, to speak about his son's tragic death. Antonio LeGrier pictured on the left, breaking down in tears