Laquan McDonald was shot on October 20, 2014. It took place at 10 p.m. The Chicago Police Department’s Officer Jason Van Dyke fired 16 shots at McDonald’s from a range of 10 feet. McDonald’s was struck multiple times. Laquan, then 17, was attending high school on Chicago’s westside. His mother was unfit to take care of him and he lived with other relatives all his life. Laquan was an extremely troubled child. He had been expelled from school, suspended from school and arrested for drug possession. At the time, Officer Van Dyke had been 36 and was a 14-year Chicago Police Department veteran. He is married to his wife and has two kids. The city has filed 20 complaints against the officer. Ten of the complaints accuse him of using excessive force during traffic stops. Two other complaints refer to his use of a firearm.
The police were called in to investigate a suspect who was carrying a knife and attempting to break into vehicles around 10 p.m. on October 20, 2014. McDonald’s was the first to be confronted by officers upon arrival. McDonald’s ordered him to smash one of his officers’ tires and cut his windshield with the knife. McDonald’s refused to let the knife go, so a Taser backup was summoned. According to reports officer Van Dyke was on the spot and fired within 6 seconds. McDonald’s was knocked down by the officer who fired just one shot at first. Van Dyke placed the knife on his stomach and then emptied his remaining magazine into McDonalds. At 10:42 P.M., he was declared dead at Mount Sinai Hospital. McDonald’s autopsy showed that McDonald was shot in the neck. McDonald’s was shot 16 times, nine of which were on the back. PCP was found within McDonalds. The FBI and the State Attorney’s Office led the criminal investigation. Because of discrepancies between the original police report and dash-cam video, the U.S. Attorney’s Office also intervened. The report claimed that McDonald’s had a fight with an officer. However, the video proved otherwise. The video shows McDonald’s swinging a knife and walking away from Van Dyke as he fires on him. Officer Van Dyke has been charged with the first-degree of murder. He was arrested and held for 6 days in Cook County Jail before being released under bail of $1,000,000 (Van Dyke %10) Van Dyke, a grand juror indicted him on six counts for first-degree murdered and one count for official misconduct. Van Dyke denied the charges. I believe the trial remains in progress. Van Dyke can be sentenced to 20 year or more in prison, with a maximum of life imprisonment. This is the first case in 35 years where a Chicago officer has been accused of first-degree murder for an incident while on duty. There were many protests after the November video was released. On March 23, 2017, Van Dyke was charged with six counts first-degree murder, 16 counts of aggravated Battery and one shot at Laquan McDonald.
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