Questions have remained since McDonald’s death almost two years ago about what discipline could follow, after suggestions that the teenager lunged at police was shown to be untrue by the video footage.
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Prosecutors had made a decision to charge Van Dyke because he wasn’t facing an immediate threat from McDonald, and because he continued to fire at the teen as he lay on the ground after being shot.
Johnson’s announcement comes days after the police department received the inspector general’s report.
We’ve reached out to Chicago Fraternal Order of Police for comment, and we will update if they respond. Officers were advised of Johnson’s decision via email. The OIG also recommended three other officers for separation, but Guglielmi said two of those officers retired and that the department disagreed with the OIG on the third officer, citing a lack of evidence. In his report, however, McNaughton deemed the shooting justified and noted that McDonald was walking toward the officer when he was gunned down.
Johnson’s call to fire the officers broadens the political and departmental fallout, which includes pressure on Mayor Rahm Emanuel to provide more transparency and overhaul the police disciplinary system to break down an entrenched “code of silence” among officers and build public trust.
The controversy stirred by the video of Van Dyke shooting McDonald was compounded by the fact that numerous officers at the scene wrote reports that conflicted with the video, suggesting a collaborative effort to justify the shooting.
David McNaughton, the deputy chief who ruled that officer Van Dyke’s shooting of McDonald was in line with departmental policy, retired this week after reportedly learning that Mr Ferguson had released his report. He is awaiting trial on murder charges and has been suspended without pay. He’s now awaiting trial.
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The attorney general’s ruling, which the department can seek to have overturned by a judge, is the latest blow for the Chicago Police Force as it faces a federal investigation and allegations of racism and brutality. According to Atlanta Black Star, citizens who witnessed the shooting said they were questioned for hours until their testimonies matched the police narrative. In November, a dashcam video of the shooting was released, leading to protests. The Chicago City Council agreed to a $5 million settlement with Laquan’s family in 2015.
