{"id":21244,"date":"2015-11-24T23:03:20","date_gmt":"2015-11-25T05:03:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=21244"},"modified":"2015-11-25T18:34:21","modified_gmt":"2015-11-26T00:34:21","slug":"city-releases-dashcam-video-of-2014-slaying-of-black-teenager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/city-releases-dashcam-video-of-2014-slaying-of-black-teenager\/","title":{"rendered":"City releases dash-cam video of 2014 slaying of black teenager"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Meggie Morris, Steve Musal and Steven Porter<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chicago\u00a0officials released a dash-cam video Tuesday showing a white police officer fatally shooting\u00a0 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times a year ago,\u00a0 as ordered by a Cook County judge last week<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The release coincides with Tuesday’s charges against Jason Van Dyke, 37, a 14-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, who faces a first-degree murder charge in the black teenager’s death on Oct. 20, 2014.<\/p>\n

Cook County Judge Franklin Valderrama on Thursday ordered the release\u00a0 of the graphic footage by the middle of this week after the City fought for months to prevent its disclosure to the public.<\/p>\n

The silent video\u00a0shows McDonald walking in the center of a Chicago street as officers confront him with guns drawn. McDonald, apparently struck by bullets,\u00a0 falls to the ground as puffs\u00a0 of smoke emerge\u00a0 from and around his body.<\/p>\n

After several seconds one of the officers kicks the knife away from his hand. McDonald lies barely moving until the video ends.\u00a0(At your discretion, you can view the video at the bottom of this story.)<\/p>\n

\"Shooting<\/a>
A series of screen captures from dashcam video showing Laquan McDonald shortly before being shot and in the moments immediately after the first bullets hit. (Captured from Chicago Police video released Nov. 24, 2015)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Chicago-area<\/a>
Community and religious leaders listen to\u00a0 Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday. Emanuel praised them for working with his office\u00a0 after Cook County Judge Franklin Valderrama last week ordered the city to release the police dash-cam video. (Steve Musal\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At Van Dyke\u2019s bond hearing,\u00a0 prosecutors from State\u2019s Attorney Anita Alvarez\u2019s office said Van Dyke fired 16 shots in about 15 seconds, and during 13 of those seconds McDonald was lying on the ground. Prosecutors said the puffs of dust were caused by fired bullets.<\/p>\n

But Van Dyke\u2019s lawyer, Daniel Herbert, cautioned those who are following the case not to rush to judgment.<\/p>\n

\"Daniel<\/a>
Daniel Herbert, lawyer for Jason Van Dyke, issues a statement following an initial bond hearing Tuesday, urging that his client’s\u00a0 case be tried in the courtroom. (Steve Musal\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis is a case that can\u2019t be tried in the streets …\u00a0 in the media and\u00a0on Facebook,\u201d Herbert said at a press conference following the bond hearing. \u201cThe judgment made by individuals that view this tape from the comfort of their living room on their sofa, it\u2019s not the same standard as the perspective from my client.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herbert also decried Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel\u2019s \u201cirresponsible\u201d comments earlier this week regarding Van Dyke\u2019s shooting of McDonald, calling them prejudicial to his client.<\/p>\n

At a late afternoon press conference marking the release of the dash-cam video, however, Emanuel remained resolute in his position.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike all public servants that are here, including officers, we hold our police officers to a high standard,\u201d Emanuel said. \u201cObviously, in this case, Jason Van Dyke violated both the standard of professionalism that comes with being a police officer, but also the basic moral standards that bind our community together.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Emanuel also said it was the duty of all Chicagoans to build a stronger community, one where the circumstances that led to McDonald\u2019s slaying were overcome by a sense of partnership between community members and police officers who were part of that community rather than looking at it as a source of potential problems. In that, he echoed a speech made by President Barack Obama<\/a> to the International Association of Chiefs of Police last month.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a case that can\u2019t be tried in the streets, … in the media or on Facebook.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Daniel Herbert, Jason Van Dyke’s lawyer<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy called McDonald\u2019s slaying \u201ca tragic ending for, unfortunately, a tragic life of a young man,\u201d adding that McDonald had been \u201cbetrayed on a number of different levels.”<\/p>\n

“Typically, these cases end up in the police department\u2019s hands,” McCarthy said. “In this case, it ended up in his death. We are not the least bit pleased about this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dean<\/a>
At Tuesday’s news conference, Dean C. Angelo, president of Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge 7,\u00a0 said he trusts the court to weigh the evidence against Jason Van Dyke and judge him fairly, and until a judgment is rendered, he stands by the officer. (Steve Musal\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But both McCarthy and Emanuel, along with community leaders, urged Chicagoans to express their anger and passion in peaceful ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have a right to be angry, people have a right to protest, people have a right to free speech,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cBut they do not have a right to commit criminal acts.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a statement that sounded very much like an earlier statement by Corey Brooks, pastor of New Beginnings Church in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the South Side, who told reporters Monday he and other religious leaders are calling for peaceful demonstrations, but they shouldn\u2019t be held responsible for the public\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI let the mayor know from my point of view that if this goes awry, it\u2019s not any of the pastors\u2019 fault,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cIf these demonstrations turn to riots or things of that sort, we can\u2019t be blamed for that, nor should we be responsible for the direction of a group of people if they decide to do something other than what we\u2019re asking them to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emanuel, who claimed at the press conference that he was waiting to watch the video along with the public, said it was absolutely appropriate that viewers form their own opinions on Van Dyke\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe incident and actions in the video will be debated and discussed in the days ahead,\u201d Emanuel said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Van Dyke will be held in Cook County Jail with no bond set, until\u00a0Judge Donald Panarese Jr. can review the video. A new bond hearing is set for Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n

VIEWER CAUTION ADVISED<\/strong>Below is the dashcam video released on Tuesday. The shooting occurs shortly after the 5-minute point.<\/em><\/p>\n