Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke fired 16 shots at 17-year-old McDonald, who was black, as he walked away from officers in October 2014.
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“The superintendent did not name any of the officers he is seeking to fire, but many of them were patrol officers at the scene of the shooting”.
Chicago’s police superintendent says he will recommend the firing of seven officers involved in the shooting death of teenager Laquan McDonald.
In a statement released Thursday, the Chicago Police Department said it had reviewed reports on the case by the city’s inspector general, who alleged that the officers filed false police reports.
The officers violated Rule 14, which prohibits “making a false report, written or oral”, said Johnson.
None of accused officers have been named, but majority were at the scene of the shooting.
In a statement, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel welcomed the recommendations, saying the city “must also recommit ourselves to partnering together to rebuild trust between our police department and our residents”. Each officer will have their right to due process.
While the former officer was eventually charged with first-degree murder, the shooting and its bungling by city officials prompted national outrage and an investigation by the Department of Justice. His ruling could be overturned by the Chicago Police Board, and officers can challenge the final decision in court.
“That’s what humans go through”, he said.
The high-profile killings of unarmed young Black men at the hands of police has sparked a nationwide debate and protests across the country.
Superintendent Johnson’s action today moves us one critical step in that direction. “He gets the crisis that we are in and how to solve it”, said Jedidiah Brown, a leader of a group called Chicago Life.
The Chicago Tribune reports that recently the city’s Office of the Inspector General recommended 10 officers be fired in connection to McDonald’s death.
Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times by Chicago police officer Jason van Dyke. And Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder and is awaiting trial.
To show transparency after being criticized for holding the McDonald video back for so long, authorities in Chicago released a huge volume of videos and reports in June from open investigations into police shootings and other instances of use of force.
Separately, a special prosecutor is investigating whether the officers lied to justify the shooting death of McDonald and will decide whether to bring criminal charges.
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Multiple officers wrote that, even after McDonald had been shot, he still posed a threat.
