Officer Who Killed Laquan McDonald Has Been Charged With Murder

Jason Van Dyke has been charged with first-degree murder.

Former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder in the killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2014. The teenager was shot 16 times. Dyke was still an officer on paid desk duty as of Tuesday.

A Cook County judge has ordered that the video of the shooting be released by Wednesday. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has decided not to fight the order. The shooting death of McDonald did not receive major media attention when it happened in 2014, but the case has now reached national headlines.
"Police officers are entrusted to uphold the law and to provide safety to our residents," Mayor Emanuel said in a statement, according to the Chicago Tribune. "In this case unfortunately, it appears an officer violated that trust at every level."

McDonald was reportedly walking in the Archer Heights neighborhood and refused to drop a folding knife after an officer commanded him to do so. The officer opened fire because he feared for his life in that moment, police reports say. The city of Chicago recently granted McDonald's family $5 million in settlement money