Chicago cop charged with first-degree murder in shooting death of black teen

A veteran Chicago police officer has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a black teenager last year.

{mosads}Officer Jason Van Dyke, 37, allegedly fired 16 rounds at 17-year-old Laquan McDonald during a confrontation on Chicago’s South Side in October 2014.

Dashboard camera video shows McDonald crumbling to the ground after getting struck several times, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday. Van Dyke, who is white, then fires another volley at the teenager as he is sprawled on the ground, the newspaper added. McDonald’s autopsy confirmed McDonald was shot 16 times, with nine bullets hitting him at a downward or slightly downward trajectory. 

McDonald reportedly had PCP in his system and behaved erratically, refusing police orders to drop a 4-inch folding knife.

Van Dyke’s lawyers have repeatedly argued the police officer feared for his life during the confrontation.    

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) is now preparing his city for the release of the video, the subject of a protracted legal battle, no later than Wednesday.

Emanuel called for peace Monday before footage’s release, noting his personal outrage over the incident.

“What happened here is wrong,” he said in a statement made by phone to the media. “And it’s a shock to your conscience what happened, and it should not have happened.”

“One individual needs to be held accountable. They need to be held accountable for what they’ve done.”

The Tribune said Tuesday that McDonald’s family received a $5 million settlement from the city before ever filing a lawsuit. 

The case was the first time in nearly 35 years that a Chicago officer has been charged with first-degree murder in an on-duty shooting, the Tribune noted. Van Dyke faces a minimum of 20 years in prison if convicted.

He has served on paid desk duty since the incident occurred over a year ago, the newspaper added.  

Van Dyke joined the Chicago Police Department in 2001, spending more than four years with a specialized unit, according to court and police records.

His team aggressively policed neighborhoods experiencing surges in violent crimes, the Tribune said. Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy has since disbanded the taskforce.