Officer charged in killing of teenager with 16 shots

Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke arrives at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago on Tuesday. Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke arrives at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago on Tuesday. Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

CHICAGO -- A white Chicago police officer who shot a black teenager 16 times last year was charged with first-degree murder Tuesday, hours before the city released a video of the killing.

Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez defended the 13 months it took to charge officer Jason Van Dyke in the slaying. The video was released later in the day, after the charge was announced.

Moments before the footage was made public, the mayor and the police chief appealed for calm.

"People have a right to be angry. People have a right to protest. People have a right to free speech. But they do not have a right to ... criminal acts," Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said.

City officials and community leaders have been preparing for the release of the video, fearing the kind of unrest that occurred in cities such as Baltimore and Ferguson, Mo., after young black men were slain by police or died in police custody.

Some community leaders said there was no doubt that Alvarez only brought charges because of the order to release the video from Oct. 20, 2014, that shows the shooting of Laquan McDonald, 17.

The relevant part of the video runs for less than 40 seconds and has no audio.

McDonald swings into view on a four-lane street where police vehicles are stopped in the middle of the roadway. As he jogs down an empty lane, he appears to pull up his pants and then slows to a brisk walk, veering away from two officers who are emerging from a vehicle and drawing their guns.

Almost immediately, one of the officers appears to fire from close range. McDonald spins around and crumples to the pavement. The second officer simultaneously lowers his weapon.

The car with the camera continues to roll forward until the officers are out of the frame. Then McDonald can be seen lying on the ground, moving occasionally. At least two small puffs of smoke are seen coming off his body as the officer continues firing.

In the final moments, an officer kicks something out of McDonald's hands.

Police have said the teen had a knife. Alvarez said Tuesday that a 3-inch knife with its blade folded into the handle was recovered from the scene.

Shortly after the video's release, protesters began marching through city streets. Several hundred people blocked traffic on the West Side.

"I'm so hurt and so angry," said Jedidiah Brown, a South Side activist and pastor who had seen the video. "I can feel pain through my body."

Demonstrators also gathered outside the Police Department's District 1 headquarters in the South Loop, blocking anyone from entering. Officers formed a line in front of the building.

Protesters yelled at police, with some chanting, "Don't shoot me." At least two were arrested.

Small groups of demonstrators marched up Michigan Avenue with a police escort before being stopped by officers as they headed toward Lake Shore Drive. After a short standoff, the crowd turned around.

Later, along Michigan Avenue, at least one person was detained, which led to a tense moment as protesters tried to prevent police from taking him away. Some threw plastic water bottles at officers and sat behind a police vehicle, refusing to move. Officers pulled them away, and the vehicle sped off.

Protests had mostly dissipated by 11 p.m., with a much smaller group planning to return to the District 1 building.

The judge who ordered the release of the dashboard-camera recording had set today as the deadline. City officials spent months arguing that the footage could not be made public until the conclusion of several investigations.

Alvarez said Tuesday that cases involving police officers present "highly complex" legal issues and that she would rather take the time to get it right than "rush to judgment." She said the release of the video prompted her to move up the announcement of the charge out of concern the footage could spark violence.

"It is graphic. It is violent. It is chilling," she said of the video. "To watch a 17-year-old young man die in such a violent manner is deeply disturbing. I have absolutely no doubt that this video will tear at the hearts of all Chicagoans."

Months after McDonald's death, the city agreed to a $5 million settlement with his family, even before relatives filed a lawsuit.

Van Dyke, who was denied bail Tuesday, was the only officer of the several who were on the scene to open fire. Alvarez said the officer emptied his 9mm pistol of all 16 rounds and that he was on the scene for just 30 seconds before he started shooting.

She said he opened fire just six seconds after getting out of his vehicle.

Van Dyke's attorney, Dan Herbert, maintains his client feared for his life and acted lawfully. Van Dyke, though stripped of his police powers, has been assigned to desk duty since the shooting.

Herbert said the case needs to be tried in a courtroom and "can't be tried in the streets, can't be tried on social media and can't be tried on Facebook."

Information for this article was contributed by Sophia Tareen and Michael Tarm of The Associated Press.

A Section on 11/25/2015

29989282

Upcoming Events