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Murder of Laquan McDonald

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A memorial from protesters shortly after the video's release, November 24, 2015

The shooting of Laquan McDonald occurred on October 20, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois, when McDonald—a 17-year-old black male armed with a knife—was shot 16 times[1] by Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke.[2][3]

As a result, mayor Rahm Emanuel fired Chicago police superintendent Garry McCarthy on December 1, 2015. Few days later, Emanuel apologized for the shooting, but since then, Emanuel has received criticisms and negative comments towards him and his administration.

Video of the shooting, captured on one police cruiser's dashboard camera, was released to the public on November 24, 2015, over 13 months after the shooting. Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder within hours after the video's release. After turning himself in to authorities, he was initially ordered held without bail at Cook County Jail,[4] but released on November 30 after posting bail.[5]

On November 25, Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders released a statement sending condolences to McDonald's family and criticizing the Emanuel administration and the Chicago's police force.[6]

There have been numerous protests denouncing Laquan McDonald's death. In November 27, a major day for shopping in the U.S., a group of protesters chanted "sixteen shots" and other slogans while marching on Michigan Avenue, the city's central shopping district. This caused some businesses to shut their doors and the police closed Michigan Avenue, a six-lane street.[7][8][9]

The FBI opened an investigation into McDonald's death, and the city of Chicago approved a five-million dollar settlement in April 2015, although no lawsuit was filed.[10] The police had originally claimed that McDonald had lunged at an officer. However, video footage contradicts that claim; McDonald made no lunges.[11]

On October 5, 2018, Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder, as well as 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.[12]

References

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  1. Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN (November 24, 2015). "Laquan McDonald video: Shot teen spins, falls to ground - CNN.com". CNN. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  2. Davey, Monica; Smith, Mitch (2015-11-24). "Chicago Braces After Video of Police Shooting Is Released". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  3. PM, Polly Mosendz On 11/24/15 at 5:05 (24 November 2015). "Chicago Officials Release Video of White Police Officer Shooting Black Teenager". Newsweek.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. "Chicago releases dash-cam video of fatal shooting after cop charged with murder". Chicago Tribune. November 24, 2015.
  5. "Chicago cop free after posting $1.5 million bail in Laquan McDonald's shooting". Chicago Tribune. November 30, 2015.
  6. "Sanders Statement on Laquan McDonald". BernieSanders.com. November 25, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.[permanent dead link]
  7. Davey, Monica; Smith, Mitch (2015-11-27). "Anger Over Killing by Police Halts Shopping in Chicago". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  8. Guarino, Mark (2015-11-27). "Protesters shut down Chicago's 'Magnificent Mile' in demonstrations over police slaying of Laquan McDonald". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  9. Chicago Tribune (November 28, 2015). "Some Black Friday shoppers balk at Laquan McDonald protests on Mag Mile". chicagotribune.com.
  10. Bailey, Marissa. "Police Shoot, Kill Knife-Wielding Teen On South Side". CBS Chicago. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  11. "What Police Said About The Killing Of Laquan McDonald Before The Video Showed What Really Happened". ThinkProgress. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  12. "Jason Van Dyke Is Guilty of Murder in the Death of Laquan McDonald". The New York Times. October 5, 2018.

Other websites

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