The city’s inspector general recommended firing eight officers, said Anthony Guglielmi, a police spokesman.
Advertisement
Escalante applied to be the permanent superintendent but the job went to another high-ranking member of the department, Eddie Johnson.
Johnson didn’t name the officers but said he supports firing seven of the remaining eight individuals, according to The Chicago Tribune. “So I’ve stuck to the principle that the superintendent will make a decision, and I’ll respect that decision and embrace his ability to make it”. The footage had been withheld until previous year when a court ordered its release. His account of the shooting, which was corroborated by other officers at the scene, was contradicted by dashboard camera video of the shooting that was released in November under public pressure. Johnson said one of the officers did not deserve to be fired because there was insufficient evidence.
Giancamilli said the Department’s formal response was sent to the inspector general today.
A spokesperson for the Chicago Police confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the Department will recommend the termination of seven of those officers to the Police Board, which will ultimately decide whether the officers will be fired.
Angelo said the seven officers must rightly wonder if the police board will listen to them defend their actions that night given months of protests against police in Chicago and other US cities.
Just as the city was forced to release the video, Van Dyke was charged with murder, and he awaits trial.
McNaughton retired last week only days before Ferguson’s report was officially delivered.
McNaughton had determined that the officer in question, Jason Van Dyke, acted properly when he shot McDonald 16 times on the night of October 20, 2014. In December, the US Justice Department announced it would launch an investigation into the Chicago Police Department.
In a statement, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel welcomed the recommendations, saying the city “must also recommit ourselves to partnering together to rebuild trust between our police department and our residents”.
A still from the dashcam video of Laquan McDonald being shot by a police officer. Multiple officers wrote that even after McDonald had been shot he still posed a threat.
Officer Jason Van Dyke is charged with first-degree murder in the 2014 shooting death of McDonald. Police found Laquan about two blocks from the trucking yard with a 3-inch knife in hand.
Pressure is mounting on Superintendent of Police Eddie Johnson to release the findings of a report into the matter by Chicago Inspector General Joe Ferguson.
Advertisement
“How comfortable are you that you are going to get a fair shake?” he said.
