Murder of Laquan McDonald

Murder of Laquan McDonald
Van Dyke (left) moments before fatally shooting McDonald (right)
Location4100 South Pulaski Road,
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Coordinates41°49′04.7″N 87°43′26.4″W / 41.817972°N 87.724000°W / 41.817972; -87.724000
DateOctober 20, 2014; 9 years ago (2014-10-20)
9:57:36–9:57:54 p.m. (CDT)[1]
Attack type
Murder, police brutality, shooting
VictimLaquan Joseph McDonald
PerpetratorJason D. Van Dyke
Verdict
ConvictionsSecond-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm (16 counts)
Charges
LitigationLawsuit against the city of Chicago settled with McDonald's family for $5 million
Filmed byPolice cruiser dashboard cameras
BurialForest Home Cemetery
Forest Park, Illinois, U.S.
CoronerStephen J. Cina, M.D.
Chief Medical Examiner
Cook County, Illinois
TrialSeptember 17 – October 5, 2018
Sentence6+3⁄4 years in prison (served 3+1⁄4 years)[2]

The murder of Laquan McDonald took place on October 20, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois. McDonald was a 17-year-old who was fatally shot by a Chicago Police Officer, Jason Van Dyke.[3][4] Police had initially reported that McDonald was behaving erratically while walking down the street, refusing to put down a knife, and that he had lunged at officers. Preliminary internal police reports described the incident similarly, leading to the shooting being judged as justifiable, and Van Dyke not being charged at the time.[5] This was later disproved after a video of the encounter was released, showing that McDonald was walking away.

The video of the shooting was initially withheld from the public for more than a year, which later sparked criticism for the delay.[6] On November 24, 2015, thirteen months after the shooting, a court ordered the police to release a dash cam video of the shooting. It showed that McDonald was walking away from the police when he was shot 16 times by Officer Van Dyke. That same day, Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder, and was initially held without bail at the Cook County Jail.[7] He was released on bail on November 30.[8] The city reached a settlement with McDonald's family for $5 million in April 2015. On October 5, 2018, Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder, as well as 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.[9] Van Dyke was sentenced to prison in January 2019 and was released early for good behavior in February 2022.

Protests followed the murder of McDonald, criticising the lack of transparency from the Rahm Emanuel administration, demanding changes in police and judicial procedures and police oversight, and for the dismissal or resignation of city and county officials including the mayor. For several months, Emanuel had claimed that making the video public would jeopardize a federal investigation into the shooting and had resisted allowing the video to be shown to the public, however the Justice Department never raised any issues with the public release of the footage.[10] Rahm Emanuel had already won a second term in 2015 as Mayor of Chicago (prior to the release of the dash cam video), but Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez lost her bid for reelection in 2016.

At the request of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the United States Department of Justice initiated a civil rights investigation into McDonald's murder and the activities of the Chicago Police Department. It released its report in January 2017, describing the police as having a culture of "excessive violence," especially against minority suspects, and of having poor training and supervision. DOJ and city officials signed a consent decree for a plan for improvement to be overseen by the courts. Moreover, three Chicago police officers were tried for allegedly attempting to cover up events related to the murder, and were found not guilty by the Cook County Circuit Court on January 17, 2019.[11][12][13]

  1. ^ Sanburn, Josh (November 24, 2015). "Chicago Releases Video of Laquan McDonald Shooting". Time. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  2. ^ Diaz, Jaclyn (January 14, 2022). "Ex-Chicago cop who killed Laquan McDonald will be released from prison early". NPR.
  3. ^ Davey, Monica; Smith, Mitch (November 24, 2015). "Chicago Braces After Video of Police Shooting Is Released". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  4. ^ Mosendz, Polly (November 24, 2015). "Chicago Officials Release Video of White Police Officer Shooting Black Teenager Archived February 10, 2021, at the Wayback Machine." Newsweek.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Levine was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Glenza, Jessica (January 1, 2016). "Chicago officials delayed release of Laquan McDonald shooting video". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  7. ^ Meisner, Jason; Gorner, Jeremy and Schmadeke, Steve (November 24, 2015). Chicago releases dash-cam video of fatal shooting after cop charged with murder". Chicago Tribune.
  8. ^ Schmadeke, Steve (November 30, 2014). "Chicago cop free after posting $1.5 million bail in Laquan McDonald's shooting Archived February 10, 2021, at the Wayback Machine". Chicago Tribune.
  9. ^ "Jason Van Dyke Is Guilty of Murder in the Death of Laquan McDonald". The New York Times. October 5, 2018. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  10. ^ Pilkington, Ed (December 3, 2015). "Laquan McDonald shooting puts Rahm Emanuel in battle over the truth". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  11. ^ Davey, Monica; Smith, Mitch (June 27, 2017). "3 Chicago Officers Charged With Conspiracy in Laquan McDonald Case". New York Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  12. ^ Crepeau, Megan (November 14, 2017). "No more indictments against cops in handling of Laquan McDonald shooting". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  13. ^ "Chicago Cops Found Not Guilty In Cover-Up Of Laquan McDonald Shooting". NPR.org. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2019.