Chicago police officials have recommended firing seven officers for lying about the shooting death of Laquan McDonald, a black teenager whose 2014 killing helped spark intense protests and a federal investigation of the department.
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Eddie Johnson, a veteran of the department, was unanimously confirmed as superintendent in April, taking over an embattled department at a tumultuous time.
But community activists praised Johnson’s announcement, saying the rare move shows he is serious about overhauling department practices.
McDonald was shot 16 times at close range – even after the teen collapsed from the first shot, the video of the shooting shows.
“The Department and its outside counsel have carefully reviewed the reports and supporting documents, videos, and other evidence and will accept” the recommendations to fire seven of the officers, Guglielmi said.
The decision now heads to the city’s Police Board for a final determination, the department said.
The release previous year of official police reports that directly contradicted video evidence of McDonald’s shooting by a white police officer turned a spotlight on longstanding concerns about a “code of silence” in Chicago’s police force, in which officers stay quiet about or hide possible misconduct by colleagues.
Several protests occurred in Chicago after the video was released. The same day they released the footage, which came out amid intense national focus on how police officers use lethal force, Van Dyke was charged with murder. As investigations into the incident continued, a judge took the rare step of appointing a special prosecutor to examine the actions of officers who were at the scene. Police found Laquan about two blocks from the trucking yard with a 3-inch knife in hand. As seen in police video – Van Dyke arrived, exited his auto with his gun drawn and opened fire.
The Police Board, whose members are selected by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, must consider Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson’s recommendation and make the decision on firing the officers.
Two of the 10 have since retired and “there is insufficient evidence to prove those respective allegations” for the tenth officer, Giancamilli said.
The officers’ reports appeared to contradict what can be seen on the video.
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“How comfortable are you that you are going to get a fair shake?” he said.
