The report is the first hand account of what went on that night according to the officer charged with the murder, Jason Van Dyke.
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The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, would not elaborate on the investigation. The video shows Laquan dead on the ground from his wounds, yet the police report states that after being shot, Laquan tried to stand back up in an attempt to continue his accused plot to cause harm to the officers.
The Justice Department is expected to launch an investigation into the Chicago Police Department this week.
Chicago’s Independent Police Review Authority, which investigates brutality and misconduct allegations, found only a handful of the 400 fatal and non-fatal cop shootings since 2007 “unjustified”, and “sustained” only 4 percent of the excessive force complaints, fewer than most big cities.
“We will let the Department of Justice address what action they will or will not choose to take, but as was made clear last week, we welcome the engagement of the Department of Justice as we work to restore trust in our police department and improve our system of police accountability”, said Emanuel’s spokesman, Adam Collins. Days later, the city released four more dashcam videos from other squad cars at the scene – none of which included audio.
Chicago Police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi released a statement Saturday, saying that all videos and the case report have been turned over to the federal government for investigation. He later reversed course and said he would welcome the Justice Department’s involvement – something that politicians including Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan have called for.
Protests erupted afterward in the third most populous United States city, culminating in the firing on Tuesday of Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
The formal announcement of the investigation by Attorney General Loretta Lynch is imminent, a Justice Department official knowledgeable with the decision told USA TODAY on Sunday.
The investigation was requested by the IL attorney general, whose office could not confirm the federal probe to the Guardian at the time of reporting.
On Thanksgiving Day, Obama posted this comment to his Facebook page: “Like many Americans, I was deeply disturbed by the footage of the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald”. When it announced the Baltimore probe, the department said it would focus on issues including the use of deadly force, stops, searches, arrests and whether there is a pattern of discrimination in policing.
“Chicago is facing a defining moment on the issues of crime and policing and the even larger issues of truth and justice”, Emanuel wrote. Burge was convicted of lying about the torture and served 4½ years in prison.
According to the City of Chicago’s website, the IPRA is an independent agency of the City, separate from the Chicago Police Department.
The Chicago police department, Boykin said, has “a culture that protects wrongdoers”.
According to a release from Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Sharon Fairley will replace him.
The investigation would come as the police force is under intense scrutiny since the recent release of a video showing white police officer Jason Van Dyke shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times. Van Dyke’s partner, Joseph Walsh, said that Laquan got within 12 to 15 feet of Van and “swung the knife at the officers in an aggressive manner”, contrary to the dash cam footage that shows Laquan walking away from the officers shortly before he was shot.
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Protesters carry a banner with pictures of people killed by various police departments as the Rainbow PUSH Coalition leads a march through the Loop on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015 in response to the Laquan McDonald shooting and continuing Chicago Police investigation.
