The most senior police officer in Chicago has recommended that seven of his colleagues are fired for “lying” after they shot black teenager Laquan McDonald nearly two years ago.
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Community activists praised Johnson’s announcement, saying the rare move shows he is serious about overhauling the department’s practices.
In addition to the dashcam video that contradicted police accounts, allegations have surfaced that officers pressured witnesses to change their stories to match official reports.
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.
The decision comes three days after Chicago’s inspector general issued a damning report recommending that 10 officers be fired or disciplined in the McDonald case.
Van Dyke’s partner, Walsh, said McDonald continued to advance on them, ignoring commands to drop a knife in his hand.
I applaud Superintendent Johnson for taking swift and decisive action, pursuant to the Inspector General’s report and the recommendations of IPRA Director Sharon Fairley, to remove from the CPD the officers involved in covering up the horrific murder of Laquan McDonald.
In a statement to fellow officers, Johnson said that in calling for the seven dismissals, he was accepting the recommendation of the Office of Inspector General, which recently released its investigation of the case. Jason Van Dyke, the officer who shot McDonald 16 times, has been since charged with murder.
McNaughton is the Chicago Police officer who signed off on the report that initially cleared Officer Jason Van Dyke in McDonald’s shooting.
Another wrote that, Van Dyke “in defense of his life. backpedaled and fired his handgun at McDonald”.
But the video belies those accounts.
McDonald was shot 16 times on October 20, 2014, according to an autopsy. Police found Laquan about two blocks from the trucking yard with a 3-inch knife in hand.
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. According to the press statement obtained by The New York Times, Johnson recommended their termination because they allegedly filed false reports.
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“How comfortable are you that you are going to get a fair shake?” he said.
