A white police officer has been found guilty of murdering a black teenager, whose death was caught on “graphic,” “violent” and “chilling” dash cam footage.
Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke was convicted of second-degree murder on Friday for the 2014 shooting of black teen Laquan McDonald.
The shocking case laid bare tensions between the black community and the police department in the third-largest US city. Van Dyke was accused of shooting 17-year-old McDonald, who was armed with a knife, 16 times. The 40-year-old officer was charged with murder, aggravated battery and official misconduct.
Dashcam video, released more than a year after the shooting in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, showed police gunning down McDonald, who fell to the ground. Van Dyke, who could be sentenced to life in prison, is the first Chicago police officer to face a murder charge for an on-duty incident in decades.
After the verdict, Special Prosecutor Joseph McMahon said, "A guilty verdict doesn't undo a crime. This verdict holds Jason Van Dyke accountable for his actions it provides some justice for Laquan McDonald."Van Dyke's lawyer Dan Herbert said, "I think anyone that is familiar with this city and familiar with the criminal court system in Cook County knows beyond any doubt that he was an absolute sacrificial lamb."
The killings of mostly unarmed black men at hands of police, some of which were captured on video, helped give rise to the Black Lives Matter movement and became an issue in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign
Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke was convicted of second-degree murder on Friday for the 2014 shooting of black teen Laquan McDonald.
The shocking case laid bare tensions between the black community and the police department in the third-largest US city. Van Dyke was accused of shooting 17-year-old McDonald, who was armed with a knife, 16 times. The 40-year-old officer was charged with murder, aggravated battery and official misconduct.
Dashcam video, released more than a year after the shooting in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, showed police gunning down McDonald, who fell to the ground. Van Dyke, who could be sentenced to life in prison, is the first Chicago police officer to face a murder charge for an on-duty incident in decades.
After the verdict, Special Prosecutor Joseph McMahon said, "A guilty verdict doesn't undo a crime. This verdict holds Jason Van Dyke accountable for his actions it provides some justice for Laquan McDonald."Van Dyke's lawyer Dan Herbert said, "I think anyone that is familiar with this city and familiar with the criminal court system in Cook County knows beyond any doubt that he was an absolute sacrificial lamb."The killings of mostly unarmed black men at hands of police, some of which were captured on video, helped give rise to the Black Lives Matter movement and became an issue in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign