The police union president’s explanation is that the video “does not show what the officers on the scene were able to see”. That officer, Jason Van Dyke, has since been charged with murder. The officer continues shooting after McDonald crumples to the ground and is barely moving.
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The city Friday released hundreds of pages of documents related to the October 2014 killing of McDonald by Jason Van Dyke, a white police officer. Van Dyke was placed on paid desk duty in the meantime.
The officers’ portrayal of the incident, recorded in hundreds of pages of handwritten and typed reports, prompted police supervisors to rule at the time that McDonald’s death was a justifiable homicide and within the bounds of the department’s use of force guidelines.
Several officers, including the one now charged with murder in Laquan McDonald’s death, reported that McDonald approached officers while armed with a knife.
“In defense of his life, Van Dyke backpedaled and fired his handgun at McDonald, to stop the attack”, one report reads. O fell to ground, continued to move/grasp knife.
Van Dyke told an investigator he feared McDonald would rush him with the knife or launch it at him. He says despite people screaming in their faces, getting hit with spittle and thrown objects, officers are acting in a professional manner.
The reports add to questions about the department’s handling of the shooting.
Chicago officials have released police reports in the shooting death of a black teenager by a white police officer revealing a narrative that contradicts what video footage depicts.
“Many things must happen to restore trust in the Chicago Police Department and I welcome efforts and ideas that can help us achieve that important goal”, Mayor Emanuel said in the release. Shortly after that, the city released a patrol vehicle video of the shooting.
The release of the footage, which doesn’t have sound, triggered protests and calls for public officials, including Mayor Rahm Emanuel, to resign. He said the city was following a longstanding practice of releasing such material only after an investigation was complete. Many also want Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy on Tuesday.
Van Dyke keeps shooting until his gun is empty, 16 shots in less than 15 seconds.
Reuters could not immediately obtain the police reports.
The Justice Department in the last six years has opened more than 20 investigations of police departments. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has called for an overall federal investigation of police department practices, which Democratic presidential candidates and local Illinois politicians have echoed. The authority, which did not return a message left Friday, has not released its report on the McDonald shooting.
In particular, the sources said, federal prosecutors are investigating the officers who made statements as well as the officers who prepared the reports of the statements.
McDonald was being chased by police after reports he was burglarizing vehicles.
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Yet not one of those officers fired a shot. VD continued firing. O appeared to be attempting to get up, still holding knife. McDonald is called O, for offender. Jackson said he hoped that the investigation would focus not only on the police department, but on Emanuel’s office and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office that he and others have criticized for taking so long to bring charges against Van Dyke. But one of the police reports said the knife’s “blade was in the open position”.
