Chicago police have faced public outrage and intensified scrutiny in recent weeks after the release of the October 2014 video of Officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shooting teenager Laquan McDonald on a Chicago street.
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According to the Chicago Tribune, one report claimed that McDonald was advancing on officers in an “aggressive, exaggerated manner” before officer Van Dyke fired at the teen.
Emanuel introduced a newly appointed leader of the city’s Independent Police Review Authority, which investigates police shootings. In announcing he had fired former police Superintendent Garry McCarthy last week, Emanuel announced he was creating a Police Accountability Task Force to recommend reforms.
The FBI joined the case and late last month, and Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder – the same day the city released the video to the public. The agency is opening a civil rights investigation to check whether the police has a history of using excessive force, deadly force, accountability and how the department handles those incidents.
The investigation will search for patterns of unconstitutional policing practices throughout the police force. But the interim police superintendent said Monday the matter is under investigation. In a statement Sunday, Emanuel spokesman Adam Collins echoed the mayor’s comment about welcoming a federal investigation.
The attorney continued to drive home his central argument: “You can see no gun”, he said.
Assistant state’s attorney Lynn McCarthy showed an image enhanced by an Federal Bureau of Investigation computer forensics laboratory, which she said showed that Johnson was carrying a gun in his right hand when he was shot by Hernandez.
The Fraternal Order of Police had challenged the ability of Ferguson’s office to investigate police officers but was unsuccessful. The manager told Chicago NBC/5 that officers entered the fast food eatery the night of the shooting and when they left, 86 minutes of video appeared to be missing.
Johnson was struck by the bullets and fell face down. The city on Monday also released large amounts of other information related to the case, including police reports and 911 calls.
After showing the Johnson shooting video, Alvarez said she had “pretty much opened the door” on the footage.
Alvarez focused on one still frame of the video, in which she said it appears Johnson is holding a gun, although Johnson’s family’s lawyer Michael Oppenheimer maintained that there is no gun visible in the video.
If the Justice Department finds systemic violations, the investigations typically result in court-enforceable agreements between the federal government and the community that serve as blueprints for change and are overseen by an independent monitor. Another protest is scheduled for Wednesday morning, organizers said. Some chanted for Alvarez and Emanuel to step down. He continues shooting even after McDonald crumples to the ground.
Politicians, including Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, called for the federal civil rights investigation. Escalante responded that superiors didn’t have to sign off on the officers’ accounts – and when pressed later on the issue, he left the room with Emanuel without responding.
When Emanuel’s corporation counsel Stephen Patton recommended a $5 million settlement for McDonald’s family in April during a City Council Finance Committee meeting, there was only a brief discussion of the case and just two of the committee’s 35 members inquired about the incident. The city’s early efforts to suppress its release coincided with Emanuel’s re-election campaign, when the mayor was seeking African-American votes in a tight race.
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“Nothing is more important to me than the safety and well-being of our residents and ensuring that the men and women of our police department have the tools, resources and training they need to be effective crime fighters, stay safe and build community trust”, Emanuel said in a statement.
