Chicago’s police superintendent recommended seven police officers be fired over the Laquan McDonald shooting cover-up.
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The department and outside counsel reviewed reports from the 2014 shooting and found that the seven officers broke Rule 14: “Officers shall not give false information”.
The report initially recommended 10 officers be fired or severely disciplined in the case.
Officers attempted to surround Laquan, but he slashed one of the tires of a squad auto and began jogging away, according to police. Those officers include First Deputy Superintendent John Escalante, who accepted a position as the chief of police for Northeastern Illinois University, and Deputy Chief David McNaughton. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, D, who was highly criticized over how officials handled the shooting, forced out the city’s police superintendent, Garry McCarthy.
Superintendent Eddie Johnson called for their removal after a report concluded the officers made false statements.
Johnson’s action comes in response to a recent report by Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson in which he recommends 10 officers be fired.
The high-profile killings of unarmed young Black men at the hands of police has sparked a nationwide debate and protests across the country.
“Civilian witnesses have told us that they were held against their will for hours, intensively questioned by detectives, during which they were repeatedly pressured by police to change their statements”, said Michael Robbins, an attorney for the McDonald family. The Independent Police Review Authority delegated the McDonald investigation to the Office of the Inspector General, Guglielmi said. The video showed that McDonald was armed with a knife but was not moving toward the responding officers when he was shot. Jason Van Dyke, the officer who shot McDonald 16 times, has been since charged with murder. Video released a year after McDonald’s death showed he wasn’t threatening Van Dyke before the officer shot him 16 times at close range.
Angelo says the officers must wonder if they can get a “fair shake” before the board in the wake of police protests.
Van Dyke, who had already been stripped of his police powers, was charged with murder on the same day the video was released. Johnson’s recommendation will go to the city’s Police Board for a final decision.
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“With respect to the tenth officer, CPD respectfully disagrees with the OIG’s recommendation for separation and feels that there is insufficient evidence to prove those respective allegations”.
