A grand jury on Tuesday returned an indictment on six murder charges and one count of official misconduct against a Chicago police officer in the shooting death of Laquan McDonald, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
Advertisement
Emanuel is slated to meet Thursday with the Department of Justice, which is investigating the shooting.
MURDER/INTENT TO KILL/INJURE DISCHARGE FIREARM PROXIMATELY: Jason Van Dyke intentionally or knowingly shot and killed McDonald while armed with a firearm, without legal justification.
Federal officials meeting the mayor and police this week included Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division, and Zachary Fardon, U.S. Attorney for northern IL. “So I imagine when I bring motion for change of venue, Exhibit A will be all the mayor’s comments”.
Use of force by law enforcement officers has become a focus of national attention due to a series of high-profile police killings of black men, mostly by white officers in USA cities.
In a news conference last month to release the video, Emanuel told reporters it was clear “Van Dyke violated both the standards of professionalism that come with being a police officer but also basic moral standards that bind our community together”.
The suspended cop, who was freed on $15 million bail, was formally charged with six counts of first degree murder, as well as a charge of official misconduct, alleging Van Dyke committed murder while acting in his official capacity as a Chicago police officer.
Last month, Van Dyke was charged with a single count of first degree murder, as the Chicago Tribune reported.
Federal officials met Wednesday with Police Department leaders as part of what they described as completing “two days of introductory meetings”.
A U.S. Department of Justice statement says members of the public are encouraged to call or email to share “information relevant to the investigation”.
Community outreach is a key feature of the probe.
Emanuel initially characterized calls for a civil rights investigation as “misguided”, on top of the federal probe already being conducted into the McDonald case, but later pledged the city’s cooperation.
Advertisement
The DOJ will look into the police department’s use of force, police accountability and other matters.
