Chicago officer who shot black teen pleads not guilty
CHICAGO— A white Chicago police officer charged with murder in the 2014 fatal shooting of a black teenager pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
Jason Van Dyke is “hanging in there” and wants to tell his side of what happened so he’s not seen “as this cold-blooded killer,” defence attorney Dan Herbert said after the court hearing. Herbert added that they haven’t ruled out asking for a change of venue. The case is in Cook County Criminal Court in Chicago where demonstrators have staged marches protesting over the shooting and how it’s been handled.
Van Dyke, 37, faces six counts of first-degree murder and one of official misconduct in the death of 17year-old Laquan McDonald.
The officer, wearing a dark suit and blue striped tie, appeared in court Tuesday as his lawyer entered the plea on his behalf.
Judge Vincent Gaughan set the next hearing for Jan. 29.
Cook County prosecutors were not available for comment after the arraignment.
Public outcry has been furious since a dashboard camera video was released last month showing the veteran officer shooting McDonald 16 times. The teenager, armed with a knife, was veering away from officers when Van Dyke opened fire.
The footage sparked days of street demonstrations, the forced resignation of police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and a broad federal civil rights investigation of the Police Department’s practices and how allegations of officer misconduct are handled.
A series of police killings of black people across the country has given rise to the Black Lives Matter protest movement.