Report: Murder charge expected for Chicago police officer who shot teen
CHICAGO -- A Chicago police officer is expected to face a first-degree murder charge Tuesday in the shooting death of a 17-year-old boy, reports CBS Chicago.
The Associated Press also reported Officer Jason Van Dyke is expected to be indicted in the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald, citing an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to pre-empt an announcement of the charge.
Van Dyke surrendered to authorities Tuesday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building around 7:30 a.m. He and his attorney declined comment as they arrived at the courthouse, where Van Dyke will likely appear in bond court Tuesday afternoon after formal charges have been filed by Cook County prosecutors.
Van Dyke, a 14-year veteran of the force, shot McDonald 16 times on the night of Oct. 20, 2014. He has been stripped of his police powers since the shooting, pending the result of state and federal investigations.
McDonald's family and the city's police union have cited dramatically different versions of the moments leading up to McDonald's death.
McDonald family attorney Jeff Neslund said recently that dashboard camera video shows a brutal "execution." They said it proves the teen was walking away when he was shot.
The police union said McDonald was armed with a knife, high on PCP, and ignoring police orders to drop his weapon before eventually lunging at officers. Van Dyke's attorney has said the officer opened fire in fear for his life.
A Cook County judge has ordered the city to release the video cited by McDonald's family no later than Wednesday.
Neslund said the video shows Van Dyke firing the final two shots as McDonald was lying on the ground.
"The first shot or two seem to spin him on the ground. He falls down. He's down on the ground, and for the next 30 seconds or so, in this video, the officer just continues to shoot," Neslund said. "What you see are graphic puffs of smoke rising from Laquan and intermittently his body twitching, in reaction to the shots."
Van Dyke's attorney, Dan Herbert, has acknowledged the video is graphic, but said the officer feared for his safety, and the shooting was justified.
"He firmly believed he was in fear for his life and concerned about the life of his fellow officers," Herbert said last week.
Ministers who huddled with Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday at City Hall said they hope the charges against Van Dyke will defuse the tension ahead of the video's release, but they weren't making any guarantees.
"He [the mayor] definitely understands that we're in a situation that has the potential to be a bombshell," Rev. Corey Brooks said.
Rev. Ira Acree said many people in his community "feel betrayed."
"Many are so very angry, and protests are imminent," he said.
In a conference call with key civic leaders on Monday, Emanuel also urged calm once the video is released. He called the shooting of McDonald "hideous." The mayor said he has not watched the video of the shooting.
At a news conference later on Monday, the mayor said: "You have a right to voice your opinions but do it in focused and responsible way so all voices heard."
Sources told CBS Chicago the city wanted to release the video of the shooting on Tuesday, but also wanted to wait until after Van Dyke has been indicted. It's likely the video will not be released until Wednesday.
Although the mayor initially fought the effort to make the video public, he reversed course last week, and has since criticized the officer's actions.
"This officer didn't uphold the law. In my view, he took the law into his own hands; didn't build the trust that we want to see, and he wasn't about providing the safety and security. So, at every point, he violated what we entrust him," he said Monday.
The city agreed to a $5 million settlement with McDonald's family even before a lawsuit was filed. Van Dyke, a 14-year veteran, has been stripped of his police powers, pending investigations by federal and Cook County prosecutors.