VIDEO: 3 officers accused of lying about teen's shooting

A protester holds a sign Tuesday as people rally for 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, who was shot 16 times by Chicago Police Department Officer Jason Van Dyke in Chicago.
A protester holds a sign Tuesday as people rally for 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, who was shot 16 times by Chicago Police Department Officer Jason Van Dyke in Chicago.

CHICAGO — Three Chicago police officers have been indicted on charges that they conspired to cover up and lie about what happened when a white police officer shot a black teenager 16 times — which prompted anger when a video of the killing was finally released.

The indictment handed down Tuesday alleges that one current and two former officers lied about the events of Oct. 20, 2014, when officer Jason Van Dyke killed Laquan McDonald.

The officers' version of events contradicts what can be seen on police dash-cam video, in which the teenager spins after he was shot and falls to the ground — seemingly incapacitated — as the officer continues to fire shot after shot into his body. The indictment further alleges that officers lied when they said McDonald ignored Van Dyke's verbal commands and that one of the officers signed off on a report that claimed the other two officers were, in fact, victims of an attack by McDonald.

"The co-conspirators created police reports in the critical early hours and days following the killing of Laquan McDonald that contained important false information," says the indictment in which the three are charged with felony counts of obstruction of justice, official misconduct and conspiracy.

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