Chicago’s police boss wants to fire the cops accused of lying about the killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
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On Thursday, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson recommended seven officers be fired for making false statements in the case.
In addition, two other high-ranking officers retired during the city’s long-delayed response to the shooting.
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 USA cities.
The decision now heads to the city’s Police Board for a final determination, the department said. But Johnson wrote that he felt the evidence against one of the officers was insufficient to recommend termination.
Officer Jason Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder late previous year after dashcam footage appeared to show Mr McDonald moving away from officers, contradicting police accounts.
The graphic footage shows Van Dyke shooting the teen execution-style as he walked away.
Ferguson made recommendations about what the department should do with officers who were on hand at the shooting and said in their reports that McDonald was behaving in a threatening manner with a knife before officer Jason Van Dyke shot him 16 times. There were several officers on the scene, but only Van Dyke opened fire.
A special prosecutor has been named to probe whether other Chicago police officers lied to justify the shooting of McDonald.
Van Dyke, who had already been stripped of his police powers, was charged with murder on the same day the video was released.
The inspector general’s report centered on the actions of 10 officers.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel had little to say today on Inspector General Joe Ferguson’s report on the department’s handling of the Laquan McDonald investigation that’s now on the desk of CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson.
The opinion has the force of law, requiring the police to search officers’ private accounts and turn over relevant emails – although the police department can ask a judge to overturn it. They’ll still have the opportunity to challenge the recommendation to the local Police Board.
Among those most affected by the use of force by police are youth of color, according to a report by the Chicago-based organization We Charge Genocide.
Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty.
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For months, the mayor has been trying to get ahead of a federal civil rights investigation by crafting a new system of police accountability to restore public trust shattered by his handling of the Laquan McDonald shooting video.
