Officer convicted in black teen’s death
Chicago murder fueled police-conduct debate
CHICAGO — A white Chicago police officer was convicted of second-degree murder Friday in the 2014 shooting of a black teenager that was captured on dashcam video and stoked outrage nationwide.
The video showed the teen, Laquan Mcdonald, crumpling to the ground in a hail of 16 bullets as he walked away from officers. It prompted a federal government inquiry and calls to reform the Chicago Police Department.
Jason Van Dyke, 40, was the first Chicago officer to be charged with murder for an on-duty shooting in about 50 years. He was taken into custody moments after the verdict was read.
The second-degree verdict reflected the jury’s finding that Van Dyke believed his life was in danger but that the belief was unreasonable. The jury had the option of first degree-murder, a charge that required a finding that the shooting was unnecessary and unreasonable.
Second-degree murder usually carries a sentence of less than 20 years in prison, especially for someone with no criminal history. Probation is also an option.
Van Dyke was also convicted of 16 counts of aggravated battery — one for each bullet — and acquitted of official misconduct.
Mcdonald was carrying a knife when Van Dyke fired at him on a dimly lit street where he was surrounded by other officers.
The officers had been waiting for someone with a stun gun to use on Mcdonald when Van Dyke arrived, according to testimony and video. The video, played repeatedly at trial, showed him firing even after McDonald lay motionless.
The verdict was the latest chapter in a story that accelerated soon after a judge ordered the release of the video in November 2015. The case put the city at the center of the national debate about police misconduct.
Van Dyke had been on the force for 13 years. According to a database including reports from 2002 to 2008 and 2011 until 2015, he was the subject of at least 20 citizen complaints — eight of which alleged excessive force. Though he was never disciplined, a jury did award $350,000 to a man who filed an excessive-force suit against him. Van Dyke testified that Mcdonald was the first person he ever shot.