Thursday, March 28, 2024

Chicago Cop Who Shot Laquan McDonald Pleads Not Guilty

Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke leaves the Criminal Courts Building after pleading not guilty to first-degree murder charges related to the shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald on December 29, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois.
Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke leaves the Criminal Courts Building after pleading not guilty to first-degree murder charges related to the shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald on December 29, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois.

*The white Chicago police officer charged with murder in the 2014 fatal shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Chicago.

Jason Van Dyke faces six counts of first-degree murder and one of official misconduct in the 17-year-old’s death. Dressed in a dark suit and blue striped tie, he appeared before Judge Vincent Gaughan in Cook County Criminal Court. The next hearing is set for Jan. 29.

Dashcam video was released last month showed the veteran officer shooting McDonald 16 times. The teenager, armed with a knife, was veering away from officers when Van Dyke opened fire.

The footage sparked days of street demonstrations, the forced resignation of Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and a broad federal civil rights investigation of the police department’s practices and how allegations of officer misconduct are handled.

Over the weekend, Chicago Police shot and killed two other people, a 55-year-old grandmother who was shot accidentally and a 19-year-old man whom police have said was “combative” before he was shot.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has been the target of heavy criticism and calls for resignation since the McDonald video was released last month, is due to return Tuesday afternoon from a family vacation in Cuba.

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