Chicago Police Officer Robert Rialmo’s future with the department is now in the hands of the Chicago Police Board.

The fourth and final day of evidentiary hearings in the case wrapped up Thursday afternoon, with closing arguments delivered from attorneys representing both the CPD and Rialmo himself.

Rialmo’s lawyers have sought to blame Quintonio LeGrier — the 19-year-old who attacked Rialmo with an aluminum baseball bat — for the death of Bettie Jones, 55, who was fatally struck by one of the bullets intended for LeGrier. Her death was referred to as a “tragedy” on more than a dozen occasions over the four days of evidentiary hearings.

”As tragic as it may be that Bettie Jones died, it’s the acts of Quintonio LeGrier that caused Bettie Jones to die, not Officer Rialmo,” Jim Thompson, one of Rialmo’s attorneys, said during his closing argument.

They further argued that LeGrier, 19, obstructed Rialmo’s view, and he could not have known that she was still just a few feet away when Rialmo opened fire. Thompson went as far to say that, had Rialmo known where Jones was, he would not have fired his gun.

“I don’t think Officer Rialmo would have fired his gun, and I don’t think many Chicago police officers would have fired either,” Thompson said. “I think they would’ve ate the bat.”

Attorneys for the city have said Rialmo should have known not to fire because the officer had seen Jones just seconds earlier when she opened the door for him.

“Whether or not Officer Rialmo physically saw Ms. Jones at the time he fired the shots doesn’t matter because he knew she was there,” Jim Fieweger, an attorney representing the CPD, said during his closing argument. “What it really comes down to is you don’t fire when you know there’s an innocent person standing there.”

Fieweger noted that after he fired the shots, Rialmo walked across the street from 4710 W. Erie and told another officer that he “f——- up.”

“Unfortunately for everybody involved, Officer Rialmo was right,” Fieweger said of the officer’s statement.

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Rialmo, 30, was not present for the final day of hearings. The charges against him allege action or conduct impeding department efforts to achieve its policy and goals or bringing discredit upon the department; disobeying an order or directive; inattention to duty; incompetency or inefficiency in the performance of duty; and unlawful or unnecessary use or display of a weapon.

It will likely be a few months before the police board reaches a decision as to Rialmo’s future with the CPD and any possible punishment.

Though there are nine members of the police board, only eight will weigh in on the case. Last April, CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson said he believed the shooting was justified, while the Civilian Office of Police Accountability ruled it unjustified and recommended Rialmo be fired. The disagreement meant that a single member of the police board had to decide whether the case should advance or if it should be dropped altogether.

Board member Eva-Dina Delgado opted to advance the case, which triggered the superintendent’s charges against Rialmo. Since she settled the disagreement between Johnson and COPA, Delgado will recuse herself from voting on Rialmo’s future. With eight voting members of the board remaining, five would have to agree on any potential punishment.

Rialmo himself has signaled that while he enjoys being a police officer, he’d be open to joining the ranks of the Chicago Fire Department, following in the footsteps of his father and brother.

Since the shooting, Rialmo has been involved in two bar scuffles. The first, which occurred in late 2017, resulted in Rialmo facing criminal battery charges. He was acquitted after a two-day trial in July 2018. Just a few days later, he was in another fight that was captured on cellphone video. No arrests were made and no charges were filed, though COPA is still investigating.